College Student Missing After Getting Kicked Out of Luke Bryan’s Nashville Bar
Riley Strain's family is desperate for answers.
The 22-year-old University of Missouri student has been missing since the night of March 8 after visiting Luke Bryan's Nashville bar, 32 Bridge Food + Drink, local police told NBC News.
Per the outlet, Strain was visiting the city with his Delta Chi fraternity brothers for their spring formal but became separated from the group after he was asked to leave the bar.
"The boys called him, and he said, 'I'm walking back to my hotel,'" Strain's stepfather Chris Whiteid told NBC affiliate WSMV of Nashville of what happened after the college student exited the bar. "They didn't think anything about it."
However, when his fraternity brothers returned to their hotel, they could not find Strain, only his room key. They then, per WSMV, went searching for Strain, which included crosschecking his recent Snapchat locations. When their search proved unsuccessful, they then called Strain's parents, who drove straight to Nashville to assist in the search.
Authorities began searching for Strain on March 11, Metro Nashville PD confirmed on X, formerly Twitter, which included a helicopter search of the riverbank in addition to detectives working on the ground.
The department also shared security camera footage that showed Strain crossing a street located approximately a half-mile from the bar.
"Detectives today continue to pursue tips & investigative leads concerning missing person Riley Strain, 22," Metro Nashville PD wrote in a March 12 update. "Strain, wearing a 2-tone shirt, is seen in this video crossing 1st Ave N to Gay St (right to left), at 9:47 p.m. Fri."
E! News has reached out to Bryan's reps for comment, but as not heard back. Metro Nashville PD did not have an additional comment but noted that all updates will be shared on its X account.
Meanwhile, Strain's loved ones, including his mother Michelle Whiteid, anxiously await information.
"It's so hard. I just need to know where my son is," she told WSMV on March 11. "We talk every day, multiple times a day. This is the longest I've ever gone without talking to him."
Strain's stepfather added, "We're in a bad dream. Can we wake up? Please, just let us wake up."
In a press release shared by the University of Missouri, interim vice chancellor for Student Affairs Angela King Taylor said, "The safety of our community is our highest priority. Our thoughts are with Riley's family as the search continues. We will be offering any support to them that we can, and we encourage anyone who needs help to reach out to our counseling resources."
(E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
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