NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The body of Riley Strain was recovered from the Cumberland River in West Nashville Friday morning.
This is approximately eight miles from downtown Nashville where he was last seen on surveillance video after being asked to leave Luke's 32 Bridge bar.
Metro Police say the call for a drowning came in about a body that was found in the Cumberland River by a worker in an industrial area. The fire department was called in and the medical examiner's office reviewed the body and confirmed the body as Riley. He was reportedly wearing the same watch and shirt from when he went missing.
Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake said:
"This morning around 7:28 a.m. we received a call from a worker on 61st Avenue at a company that adjoins the Cumberland River that had been searching for anything that would pop up on the river especially looking for Riley Strain."
“We had reports that under these circumstances with his height and weight that he could have surfaced between 14 and 20 days this is the 14th day, so we were really expecting any time soon to find him. In fact, our search teams were going to put it in the water here this morning and then search from this point further down. So we were in the right spot, just unfortunate, there’s nothing to suggest ... foul play.”
Riley's family was notified by police. Police say there was no foul play-related trauma observed.
An autopsy is pending.
Who is Riley Strain and when was he last seen?
Riley Strain, 22, is a University of Missouri senior who disappeared after a night out with friends in Downtown Nashville on March 8.
He went missing after he was kicked out of Luke Bryan's bar on Lower Broadway.
Surveillance video and body-cam footage was released detailing the night, as well as a statement from Luke Bryan's bar, claiming they only ever sold him one alcoholic beverage and two waters.
RELATED: Luke Bryan's bar claims they only served Riley Strain one drink
Here's a timeline of events that led up to his disappearance.
What evidence was found?
On March 17, Metro Police said Riley's bank card was found in the Cumberland River embankment along Gay Street by those who had been searching for Riley themselves.
Riley's body was found in the Cumberland River in the Nations area 14 days after he went missing. We've created a map diagram to show the distance from where Riley went missing to where he was located.
I LOVE Forrest's stories on the history of NewsChannel 5 as we celebrate our 70th anniversary. Here's a story I wasn't familiar with until recently. Eudora Boxley had a live cooking show in the early days of the station. She may have been the first black on air at NewsChannel 5 and perhaps, one of the first African Americans to have a TV cooking show anywhere in the country. It wasn't until her grandson reached out to me that I even heard of Ms. Boxley. Thankfully, I was able to connect him with Forest to learn more about this great nugget in NewsChannel 5 history.
-Lelan Statom
