Mizzou student Riley Strain had up to 15 drinks before Nashville drowning
Riley Strain, the 22-year-old University of Missouri student who stumbled into the Cumberland River after a night of drinking in Nashville, Tennessee, consumed between 12 and 15 alcoholic drinks prior to his death earlier this year, according to an investigation by Metro Nashville Police.
Strain went missing in March during a trip to Tennessee with his fraternity brothers for spring formal. He was last seen alive on surveillance video the night of March 8, shortly after getting kicked out of Luke’s 32 Bridge, a bar on Broadway.
Strain’s disappearance sparked a massive search effort, which culminated in the recovery of his body just a few weeks later on March 22.
Strain’s official cause of death was listed as drowning and ethanol intoxication, according to an autopsy report. He had a blood alcohol level of .228 at the time.
The medical examiner later determined Strain’s death to be accidental.
While his blood alcohol level was nearly three times the amount legally allowed to drive a vehicle, the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission determined the college senior had not been overserved.
According to a police report obtained by WSMV4 Investigates, which includes interviews with Delta Chi fraternity brothers, Strain began drinking on the bus to Nashville despite the strict rules prohibiting alcohol. They said Strain had at least five drinks before they even got to Tennessee, including two vodka shots and three IPAs.
The bus reached its destination around 4:30 p.m. Less than 30 minutes later, Strain was caught on camera sipping a margarita at Casa Rosa, according to the TABC, who reviewed footage from all the bars Strain went to the night he disappeared. They found he was served alcohol three different times.
Investigators said Strain showed no obvious signs of being drunk until around 8:40 p.m. when he started to stumble. By 9:38 p.m., he was booted from Luke’s 32 Bridge for being “verbally aggressive” with staff.
Strain told friends he planned on returning to their hotel, but he never made it back.
