University of Missouri student missing 4 days after being kicked out of Nashville bar

Nashville police are searching for a University of Missouri student who went missing on Friday, after last being seen at a downtown bar in the Tennessee city. Riley Strain, a 22-year-old senior at Mizzou, was visiting Nashville for the weekend and disappeared after he and his friends were kicked out of the bar that night, CBS affiliate WTVF reported.

One of Strain's friends, identified by his first name, Brayden, told the news station that he tried looking for Strain in the immediate aftermath of his disappearance. Officials said that Brayden also attempted to find Strain using the locations feature on Snapchat but was unable to see his friend in the area most recently reported by the app at that time, according to WTVF. 

Calls made out to Strain's cellphone went to voicemail after he went missing, and a police search of the area around a cell tower where Strain's phone last pinged was not successful, either. The area where his phone pinged is less than two miles from the bar in downtown Nashville where he was last seen.

Strain is 6 feet 5 inches tall with blue eyes and light brown hair, according to a description released by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. Police shared two photos of the missing student along with their description and noted in social media posts shared Monday and Tuesday that officers were continuing to search for him.

Nashville police released video footage on Tuesday that showed Strain with a small group crossing 1st Avenue to Gay Street, they said. That intersection is several blocks from the bar. Strain is seen in the footage wearing a brown button-up shirt with darker sleeves and a matching dark front pocket.

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

Detectives on foot searched the downtown area where Strain was last seen on Monday, while helicopters probed the area overhead, Nashville police said in an additional update shared that evening on social media. The helicopter search included the nearby riverbank, but none of the efforts located Strain.

"The investigation as to his whereabouts is active," police said in that update.

Strain was last seen at 9:52 p.m. Friday on Gay St. after drinking downtown. An MNPD helicopter searched that area today, including the riverbank. Detectives on the ground also searched, but to no avail. The investigation as to his whereabouts is active. https://t.co/gyhVeJo0Wh

— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) March 11, 2024

Strain's parents drove from Springfield, Missouri, to Nashville when they learned he was missing, WTVF reported. His mother, Michelle Whiteid, told the station on Monday that she and her son normally talk daily.

"I just need to know where my son is," Whiteid told WTVF. "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."

In:
• Missouri
• Tennessee
• Nashville
• Missing Person

Emily Mae Czachor

Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She covers breaking news, often focusing on crime and extreme weather. Emily Mae has previously written for outlets including the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek.

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