Riley Strain was wearing a belt the night she disappeared, and loved ones believe the missing clothing “raises further questions” about the college student’s mysterious death.
“As soon as we found out he had the belt that night, everyone we talked to about it was like, ‘Wow, this completely changes why the article is gone,'” said a family friend. Chris Dingman said Tuesday. NewsNations’ “Elizabeth Vargas Report.”
Strain, 22, is pulled from the Cumberland River He was wearing only a shirt and a watch on March 22, two weeks after he was kicked out of country star Luke Bryan’s honky-tonk bar.
His cowboy boots, pants and wallet were all missing and have not been recovered nearly a month after investigators said he drowned.
The University of Missouri student was wearing his favorite belt that night, which Dingman argued would have prevented his pants from tearing in a fall or strong current.
“Riley had a swimmer’s build. He wore a belt around his waist, which would have made it even more difficult for his pants to come off underwater. I would have been on board,” Dingman said.
“The belt is a big piece of the puzzle we have right now, and again raises more questions.”
Grieving friends also claimed that investigators were focusing on multiple parties in the case, despite a preliminary autopsy report showing Mr Strain died of “accidental” causes.
Strain’s family had a hard time coming to terms with the possibility that the college student drowned, and Dingman noted that “he was actually an excellent swimmer.”
As is often the case with drowning victims, he was found with no water in his lungs.
Metro Nashville investigators determined Strain showed no obvious signs of trauma, so the family ordered a second private autopsy to dig deeper into the case.
Digman had previously suggested that homeless people living in nearby encampments may hold answers to the family’s burning questions.
A local homeless man reportedly witnessed a “very, very drunk” Strain nearly fall off the edge of a path and into the river.
Strain was wandering the streets of Nashville alone on March 8 when he was kicked out of Luke’s 32 Bridge Food and Drink store in Nashville.
He told his fraternity brothers at the University of Missouri that he was going back to his hotel room, but surveillance camera footage showed him taking a wrong turn toward the river and then a mile away from the bar when his cellphone went off. It showed the last ringing.
Strain was found by officers near a river that night, according to body camera footage.
The student’s ATM card was found days later on the Cumberland River embankment by two TikTokkers who were searching the area.
“The family is in a very dire situation right now. We’re at a point where we want answers. We’re blessed to be able to bring Riley home, but we want answers right now,” Dingman said. .
