Police searching for missing University of Missouri student Riley Strain, who vanished nine days ago, have found a bank card near a river in Nashville. Strain, 22, was last seen on March 8 at Luke's 32 Bridge Food + Drink on Broadway, a venue owned by country music star Luke Bryan, according to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.
Strain, a member of the Delta Chi fraternity, was in Tennessee for a group trip for their annual spring formal when he was thrown out from the bar around 10 p.m. for reasons unknown. On Thursday, police said that they were using a boat to continue their search along the Cumberland River.
Grim Discovery
On Sunday, authorities confirmed the discovery of a bank card belonging to Strain on the embankment near Gay Street. This location is a mere three-minute walk from the Downtown Smoke & Vape Shop on Church Street, where he was last seen on video.
Authorities said during a media briefing on Sunday that the search for the 22-year-old continues. Video obtained by WKRN on Wednesday showed Strain near the intersection of 2nd Avenue and Church Street.
In the video, he is seen wearing a two-toned black and brown shirt with blue jeans. He is seen taking a fall but promptly gets back up and proceeds down the street.
Another camera captures him near the intersection of Gay Street and 1st Avenue North just before 10 p.m. Strain is seen taking large strides with his head down as he stumbles through the streets.
"We feel like when he came out, because they had been to a couple of other places, that he had got turned around on the direction," said Strain's stepfather Chris Whiteid.
Additional surveillance footage released by the Nashville police shows him wobbling and appearing disoriented as he crosses a closed road near the water.
The next morning, his fraternity brothers attempted to locate Strain using his Snapchat location but were unsuccessful and they called the police to report him missing.
His last cellphone location was recorded between Gay Street and James Robertson Parkway, near the bar where he was last seen.
Phone Still Untraceable
Police have made efforts to locate his phone but have been unsuccessful so far. They have also checked local hospitals and jails in their search efforts. Moreover, on Tuesday, police conducted a helicopter search to comb the downtown Nashville area, including the Cumberland River.
Strain's mother, Michelle Whiteid, described him as "a great kid" and noted that he is typically "very communicative."
"We miss him and we want him back so bad," she told WKRN.
"He's always texting me, calling me, FaceTiming me," she added. "He's always in touch with me. He's very communicative."
Country singer Luke Bryan, one of the owners of the bar, also showed his concern and wrote on Instagram: "Y'all this is scary. Praying for his safe return."
TC Restaurant Group, the operator and another owner of the bar, said they are "continuing to work closely with the Metro Nashville Police Department to provide security camera footage and any other potentially helpful information to aid in the search for Riley Strain."
"Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones for his safe return."
In their appeal for information regarding Strain's whereabouts, the Nashville Metro Police Department described him as "6'6", 165 lbs., with blonde hair and brown eyes."
