Riley Strain updates: Preliminary autopsy suggests student’s death was ‘accidental’
The missing student’s body was recovered from the Cumberland River on Friday
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A preliminary autopsy has been completed on student Riley Strain’s body after he was recovered from Nashville, Tennessee’s Cumberland River this week.
The initial autopsy results suggest an accidental death, as there were no signs of foul play, police told WKRN. Authorities recovered his body Friday around eight miles from the downtown area where he was last seen.
Now, his family is thanking the Nashville community.
“I want to reiterate how thankful we are for everyone and how much we appreciate everyone’s support, love and prayers,” Strain’s mother, Michelle Whiteid, said.
“We are quite thankful for everything you’ve done — the grace you’ve given us,” Chris Whiteid, Strain’s stepfather, said.
The 22-year-old University of Missouri student was partying with his fraternity in Nashville on 8 March when he was kicked out of a bar around 10pm. Strain’s bank card was found a week later near the river.
The discovery came after Mr Whiteid and family friend Chris Dingman told NewsNation police had shown them footage of what was believed to be Strain’s last known movements.
In the video, Strain was seen jogging close to the river, away from the direction of his hotel, they said.
Riley Strain’s family thank Nashville community for love and grace
“I want to reiterate how thankful we are for everyone and how much we appreciate everyone’s support, love and prayers,” Riley Strain’s mother, Michelle Whiteid, said.
“I just ask that you mamas out there hug your babies tight tonight, please, for me,” she continued.
Their words came at Friday evening press conference, just hours after authorities recovered 22-year-old Strain’s body from the Cumberland River.
“We are quite thankful for everything you’ve done — the grace you’ve given us,” Chris Whiteid, Strain’s stepfather, said. “We have learned through this ordeal that everybody has brought all the good to us. We’ve had a little bad, but it has given us faith in people that sometimes gets clouded by what we are constantly hearing.”
Timeline of Missouri student Riley Strain tragic disappearance and death
Timeline of Missouri student Riley Strain tragic disappearance and death
Nashville police said they do not believe there was any foul play in Riley Strain’s death
ICYMI: Cumberland River current was ‘very swift’ on the day Riley Strain disappeared, Cajun Navy director said
David Flagg, the director of the United Cajun Navy, a disaster relief and search and rescue group volunteering in the search for Riley Strain, told local reporters that the Cumberland River’s current was moving quickly on the day the student disappeared.
“Somehow, Riley may have fallen into the river and was swept away by the current,” Mr Flagg told WTVF. “The current was very, very swift on the day that he disappeared.”
Police searched Cheatham Dam yesterday for any sign of Mr Strain, but did not find any evidence of the student.
Mystery over Riley Strain’s last text as family friend pours cold water on ‘good lops’ theory
Before his body was found, a family friend poured cold water on online theories about the meaning of Riley Strain’s last text message.
University of Missouri student went missing shortly before 10 pm on 8 March after he was kicked out of a bar in Nashville and became separated from his friends.
As information emerged about Strain’s last known movements, family friend Chris Dingman has revealed the final text message the student sent.
He told NewsNation Strain sent a confusing text to a girl he was speaking with who “texted him to see how he was doing”. Strain responded with: “Good lops.”
Read more from The Independent:
Mystery over Riley Strain last text as family pours cold water on ‘good lops’ theory
A family friend of missing student Riley Strain dismissed one theory about the meaning of his final text
‘Hug your babies tight tonight’: Family gives statement after Riley Strain’s body was recovered
Riley Strain’s parents and relatives gave an emotional statement on Friday evening, all wearing green — the student’s favourite colour.
Riley’s mother, Michelle Whiteid, gave an emotional address to members of the media after her son’s body was recovered from the Cumberland River.
“I just want to reiterate how thankful we are for everyone, how much we appreciate everyone’s support,” Ms Whiteid said.
“I just ask that you mamas out there hug your babies tight tonight, please, for me,” she continued.
SEE IT: Last known footage of Riley Strain
Before authorities recovered his body from the Cumberland River, Riley Strain was last seen via surveillance footage after being asked to leave a bar earlier this month.
How did authorities recover Riley Strain’s body?
Authorities discovered Strain’s body approximately 8 miles from downtown Nashville in the Cumberland River, Nashville Police Chief John Drake said at a press conference. Workers were removing an object from the river when they stumbled upon Strain’s body.
According to police, Strain was wearing his distinctive black and white shirt when he was found, contradicting earlier claims by that the shirt had been taken and worn by a man named Ross.
An initial autopsy revealed there were no signs of foul play-related trauma, local outlet WKRN reports.
Mr Drake made note of a grim detail during the presser that could shed some light on why it took so long to find Strain; a body matching Strain’s height and weight would typically take approximately 14 to 20 days to surface after being submerged in a body of water. He said the police were expecting to find him sometime this week as a result.
ICYMI: Nashville mayor tells residents to ‘look out for one another’
Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell urged residents and visitors to be cautious and to be mindful of each other in the city in the wake of Riley Strain’s death.
“I think this is an important reminder to everyone to also look out for one another,” Mr O’Connell said during a Friday morning meeting. “You know, I think some of this is just about how we as a city look after each other as neighbors and as people interacting in the entertainment district.”
Timeline of Missouri student Riley Strain tragic disappearance and death
Riley Strain, the 22-year-old University of Missouri student whose body was recovered from the Cumberland River on Friday, was missing for two weeks.
From The Independent, a timeline of Strain’s disappearance, including the last moments he was seen alive:
Timeline of Missouri student Riley Strain tragic disappearance and death
Nashville police said they do not believe there was any foul play in Riley Strain’s death
ICYMI: Preliminary autopsy reveals no signs of foul play
Police told Nashville, Tennessee outlet WKRN that a preliminary autopsy had been completed on Riley Strain’s body.
As police initially said when they recovered Strain’s body, the preliminary findings continue to support that there was no foul play involved in the 22-year-old’s death.
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