Riley Strain, a college student from Missouri, went missing after leaving a bar in downtown Nashville. His body was later found in a river. The medical examiner’s office said Tuesday that he died of accidental drowning and alcohol poisoning.
On the morning of March 22, Strain’s body was found in the Cumberland River in West Nashville. He had been lost for several miles. Police say the 22-year-old student from the University of Missouri was kicked out of a bar while he was in town for the weekend two weeks before.
The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said that Strain’s death was an accident after the autopsy was made public on Tuesday. This supports what their missing person officers had found.
At the time of his death, Strain had a blood alcohol level of 0.228, which is almost three times the legal limit for driving. The report said that the compound Delta-9 THC from weed was also found in his body.
Strain had “multiple alcoholic drinks” at different Nashville venues, got separated from his friends, and was “noticeably impaired” when he went onto Gay Street, which is next to the Cumberland River on March 8th night.
Police came to a conclusion Strain walked in the dark and didn’t know the way to an overgrown area. He then fell down the steep hill that led to the river and into the water. Police said that night the river was very high and moving quickly because it had just rained.
The MNPD also said in their statement, “They are still sending their deepest condolences to Riley Strain’s family and friends.”
CNN got the autopsy report from WTVF, which is a CNN affiliate and has asked the Strain family’s lawyer for a statement.
When Strain’s body was found, his family asked for an independent investigation, they told CNN before.
