After a preliminary autopsy over the weekend, Nashville police determined that college student Riley Strain’s death was still an accident. Earlier statements from authorities stated that there was no sign of foul play as they sought for Strain, a 22-year-old University of Missouri senior who had been missing for over two weeks in Tennessee’s capital before his body was discovered early Friday morning in the Cumberland River.
According to Metro Nashville Police Department spokesperson Kris Mumford, a detective attended the autopsy, and Strain’s death “continues to appear accidental,” The Tennessean reported on Sunday. Mumford stated that toxicology reports were awaited, but there was no obvious foul play. A final autopsy will not be performed until all tests are completed.
Strain was discovered dead in the Cumberland River about 8 miles west of downtown Nashville on Friday, with no foul play suspected.
According to Metropolitan Nashville Police Department Chief John Drake, Strain most likely fell into the river since “there is no other evidence that suggests anything other than” that scenario. The strain was discovered with his clothes, watch, and other identifying items still on him, Drake stated. Police reported that no foul play-related trauma was found on the body.
Strain was last seen on the night of March 8 after drinking at Luke’s 32 Bridge, a downtown bar where records showed he ordered one alcoholic drink and two drinks of water, according to the management firm. He was asked to leave and escorted out of the establishment shortly before 10 p.m. According to the management business, one of Strain’s buddies departed the bar with him before returning inside.
Strain traveled to Nashville to attend his fraternity’s spring formal event, according to a statement sent to the University of Missouri’s student body.
A large search was initiated, with only a few clues to help police locate him, as searchers discovered his bank card by a riverbank and investigators sifted through surveillance footage to track his dying moments.
The endeavor brought together numerous law enforcement agencies and community volunteers, who had recently focused their search on waters near the huge Cumberland River. However, workers at a river firm discovered Strain’s body before 7 a.m. on Friday morning.
“They removed something from the river and as they moved it they noticed Mr. Strain and called it in,” Drake went on to say. Officers planned to search the portion of the river where Strain’s body was discovered on Friday, according to the police chief, because Strain’s height and weight led them to expect his body would surface there shortly.