The last person known to have spoken to Riley Strain the night the University of Missouri student disappeared gave a statement to police in what the victim’s family touted as a “huge” development.
Chris Dingman, a friend and spokesperson for the Strain family, said the new witness provided statements to the family before going to police.
“That was huge. It was what we were looking for,” Dingman said Tuesday. NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Report.” “He told detectives what happened to Riley.”
Mr. Dingman did not name the witness or say what he specifically said in connection with Mr. Strain’s disappearance and death.
The 22-year-old’s body was pulled from the Cumberland River on March 22, two weeks after he was chased out of country star Luke Bryan’s Nashville bar and wandered the streets alone at night.
Mr. Strain was wearing a shirt but no pants. Her cowboy boots, belt and wallet were also missing and have not yet been recovered.
Asked if the Strain family was looking for new evidence because they believe Riley didn’t just fall into the river and drown, Dingman said: one hundred percent. “
A preliminary autopsy report indicates Mr. Strain died of “accidental” causes.
The family later ordered a second private autopsy after it was determined that there was no water in the 22-year-old’s lungs, as is often the case in drowning cases.
Dingman said the family is also seeking to obtain additional surveillance footage from a jail near where Strain was last seen. So far, he has only one camera publicly available, but there are others.
“I would love to see the footage,” Dingman said. “It has been confirmed that a camera was pointed at the bridge where Riley went missing.”
