University of Missouri-Columbia student Riley Strain is missing after a trip to Nashville.
Officers with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) responded on Saturday, March 9, to the Tempo Hotel downtown, located at 127 Rosa L. Parks Boulevard.
When police arrived at the hotel, the reporting party said Strain was last seen Friday at around 10 p.m. after he was kicked out of Luke Bryan’s bar at 301 Broadway.
The group of friends lost sight of Strain and began looking for him, using Snapchat to attempt to nail down his location, per police.
After calling Strain multiple times, the reporting party said attempts kept going to voicemail.
Police said Strain’s parents drove from Springfield, Missouri, to Nashville after a friend of their son’s informed them of the incident.
The Strains spoke with police to initiate a “be on the lookout.”
Despite a hospital check, jail check and phone ping, Strain remained missing.
His phone last pinged its location 0.64 miles southwest of a Verizon cell tower at 19 Oldham Street, per MNPD.
On Tuesday, Nashville Police released video footage of the night Strain was last seen in a post on X.
Detectives today continue to pursue tips & investigative leads concerning missing person Riley Strain, 22. 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. Have info about him? Plz 📞 615-742-7463. pic.twitter.com/fE86dlqeOC
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) March 12, 2024
Police said they are continuing to pursue tips and follow leads on Strain, who is now considered a missing person. On Tuesday, a helicopter searched the area where Strain went missing, including a nearby riverbank. Detectives also searched the ground, but were unsuccessful.
Michelle Whiteid, Strain's mom, said she is heartbroken after going days without seeing her son.
"I just need to know where my son is. We talk every day, multiple times a day, this is the longest I’ve ever gone without talking to him. It's devastating — I just want to find him and hug him," she told Scripps News Nashville through tears.
@scrippsnews Two college students have gone #missing in recent weeks, and police are looking for answers. A Mizzou college student went missing in #Nashville Friday night after being kicked out of a bar. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Mizzou police at 573-882-7201. Tips can also be shared with MNPD at 615-862-860. In #Texas, a Texas A&M student went missing on March 4 around 3 a.m. after taking his dog out. Anyone with information can call Corpus Christi Police Department at (361) 886-2840. #RileyStrain #calebharrismissing ♬ original sound - Scripps News
"He's such a great kid, such a great kid, he's supposed to graduate Mizzou in May," she said. "We love you so much — so much — and we are all looking for you. All of us."
Strain is described as a 22-year-old White man who weighs around 160 pounds and is 6-foot-5. He has blond hair and blue eyes.
The 22-year-old may be wearing a black and brown LSW button-up shirt with a black chest pocket, blue jeans, brown boots and a black Apple Watch.
As he remains missing, Mizzou released a statement calling attention to resources available to students, faculty and staff, such as the Wellness Resource Center, Counseling Center and Employee Assistance Program.
“The safety of our community is our highest priority,” Angela King Taylor, interim vice chancellor for student affairs said in a news release. “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.”
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Mizzou police at 573-882-7201. Tips can also be shared with MNPD at 615-862-860.
This story was originally posted by Addi Weakley at Scripps News Kansas City.
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