NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — As the search for missing University of Missouri student Riley Strain continues, Nashville's Office of Emergency Management used a dive team Saturday for the first time in their water searches for any trace of the 22-year-old.
Nothing conclusive was located in the Cumberland River, according to a spokesperson for Nashville OEM.
"Today’s search plan included taking each boat out along a specified area near the Riverfront where the missing student was last seen and running each search K9 on the boat individually," a statement from OEM said. "Based on indicators from each K9, sonar was used to isolate an area to a more specified area where divers could search more extensively. Nothing conclusive was located and the search was terminated at 2:30 p.m."
Police say foul play is not suspected at this point.
Strain was last seen just over a week ago after being asked to leave Luke Bryan's bar downtown. The 6 foot 7 inch finance major at Mizzou left Luke's 32 Bridge on Broadway just after 9:30 p.m., getting escorted out for intoxication.
Unfortunately, he walked in the opposite direction of his hotel, about five blocks the other way. His friends had not immediately left the bar with him. Strain was in town with his fraternity brothers for a yearly formal event.
Surveillance video shows Strain headed up Third Avenue alone. He can be seen crashing into a pole off Church Street, and then stumbling onto Gay Street near the river, holding his head in some of the footage. Video last captures Strain on Gay Street near the James Robertson Bridge, according to Metro Police. However, investigators have not released that specific video to the public.
WZTV spoke exclusively on camera to one of the last people who potentially saw Strain before his trail stops, in that exact area. The man, who is part of Nashville's homeless community, spoke for the first time on seeing Strain walk his last known path, sometime around 10 p.m. Friday evening.
"We heard a commotion," said the man, who asked not to be identified.
He lives near the river with his wife, down an embankment from Gay Street.
"We looked back up," he said. "He almost fell over. The last bush right there caught him ... He was very, very, very intoxicated ... I never seen anybody stumble that hard before."
He said he didn't head closer to the street to check on Strain, since someone else was already there.
"I yelled up," he said. "They said, ‘He’s just drunk. He’s okay.’
The man said he reported the entire encounter to detectives and Strain's family.
He added that Strain continued in the same direction up First Avenue. However, that's where Strain's trail stops. No other footage or cell phone activity go beyond that point, circa 10 p.m.
Other security footage just a block up, from the Justice A. A. Birch Building, doesn't appear to show Strain pass by, according to his family.
Strain's relatives, including both his biological parents, have been in town since the first day of the search. They told WZTV that they're now focusing on tracking down anyone who was in Strain's last known area by the bridge, whether they were walking, on a scooter, taking a ride share or driving by. Anyone who may have seen Strain should contact Metro Police at 615-742-7463.
Meantime, the Nashville community continues to scour near the river daily, for any clues, walking along First Avenue and Gay Street. A number of searchers have been from Missouri.
Kathy Trumbly shares Strain's hometown of Springfield, Missouri. She moved to Murfreesboro just a year ago.
"He’s been on our minds the whole day," said Trumbly. “I’m a parent, and I would hope that anybody would be looking for him.”
The Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission is now investigating whether Strain was overserved at any point. Luke Bryan's bar, Luke's 32 Bridge, issued a statement saying Strain was served one drink at the bar before getting escorted out a front entrance.
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