The heartbroken family of Riley Strain had a second, private autopsy completed on their son as new details in the devastating discovery of his body cast a shadow over his mysterious disappearance and death.
Preliminary autopsy reports from the Metro Nashville Police Department indicated that the University of Missouri student, 22, died of “accidental” causes after being thrown out of country star Luke Bryan’s honky tonk bar in Nashville on March 8.
Strain’s body was pulled out of the Cumberland River approximately eight miles from downtown Nashville two weeks after he disappeared.
When he was discovered, Strain was missing his cowboy boots, pants and wallet. Police do not suspect foul play but his loved ones don’t fully believe it.
“The only thing that was found with him, as the police stated in the report, was the watch and the shirt,” family friend Chris Dingman told NewsNation.
The family analyzed photos taken of Riley and his friends on the night he disappeared, which seemingly revealed he had his wallet in his front pocket, and was wearing Justins, a square-nose-style cowboy boot.
Dingman, also acting as the family spokesman, said the additional autopsy was to help answer questions the family had following Strain’s death.
“The family did have a second autopsy, actually in Tennessee following the Metro Nashville autopsy, from a private independent company that does that,” Dingman told the outlet.
