Riley Strain's Family Makes Big Move To Find Answers After Puzzling First Autopsy
In the wake of the tragic and untimely death of 22-year-old University of Missouri student Riley Strain, his family has been left with more questions than answers. As you may recall, Strain traveled with his fraternity to Nashville, TN, but was reported missing by his friends on March 9 after becoming separated from the rest of the group. Sadly, on March 22, Strain's body was recovered from the Cumberland River, a major waterway that flows through the middle of downtown Nashville, just a few days after two TikTok users found his credit card by the riverbank. "No foul play-related trauma was observed. An autopsy is pending," the Metro Nashville Police Department disclosed in a somber statement on X, formerly Twitter.
Following the completion of the preliminary autopsy report, a spokesperson for the Metro Nashville Police Department told The Tennessean that Strain's death appeared to be accidental and that while the toxicology results were still pending, reiterated that there was no apparent foul play. Sadly, that initial autopsy report didn't provide Strain's family with the closure they were looking for. In a deeper quest to find the answers they so desperately crave, they made a big move. "The family did have a second autopsy, actually in Tennessee, following the Metro Nashville autopsy from a private individual company," Chris Dingman, a friend of the family, told NewsNation on March 27. "The family deserves more answers than we have," he said about Strain's mysterious disappearance and subsequent death.
A man close to the family believes 'somebody out there' has answers
While the Metro Nashville Police Department has been adamant there is no suspected foul play surrounding the death of Riley Strain, it appears that others, including those close to the family, aren't so sure. During a March 27 interview with NewsNation, family friend Chris Dingman noted that Strain was recovered wearing only a shirt and his watch. His pants, boots, and wallet were not on him. But that's not all. "One thing that threw the family for a loop was, you know, the coroner going on the record with a newsperson in Nashville stating about the lack of water in his lungs. I'm not a crime drama person by no means, but usually, water in the lungs means, you know, they were alive when they went into the water," he revealed. Dingman went on to say that he hoped that the ball hadn't been dropped and that he strongly believed that "there's somebody out there that knows what actually happened that night."
Strain's funeral is scheduled for March 29 at 2 p.m. in his native town of Springfield, Missouri, and will be followed by a private burial. In his obituary, the family requested that funeral attendees wear green in honor of one of Strain's frequent sayings: "Green makes you look good."