Chilling new video shows student interacting with cop before disappearance

18 March 2024 , 22:12

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Chilling new video shows student interacting with cop before disappearance

Chilling new police bodycam footage shows missing college student Riley Strain speaking briefly with a Nashville cop the night he vanished.

"How you doing, sir?" the cop asks Riley. "I'm good, how're you?" the student responds. "Good," the officer states as he continues looking into a red pickup truck he seems to be investigating that was parked on the street. He then goes car to car, looking for signs of a burglary, before turning around. Riley was gone when he did.

That was all there was to the chilling interaction, with the officer having no clue that the young man he had just seen would go missing, sparking a massive and urgent manhunt for the 22-year-old.

READ MORE: Missing Riley Strain: Timeline of student’s disappearance as cops search river and phone gives clues

The officer spoke to Riley at approximately 9.52pm, the last time anyone saw him (@MNPDNashville/Twitter)

The footage ends with the cop saying: "[I'm over here] on Gay Street near First Avenue." The Metro Nashville Police Department posted the footage to X, formerly known as Twitter, writing: "Shown was Riley's brief exchange of greetings w/ Officer Reginald Young on Gay St., south of the Woodland St. Bridge, on the night of 3/8. Riley did not appear distressed. Officer Young was there on a vehicle burglary call & remained on that portion of Gay St. for 45 min."

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The student has now been missing for approximately 10 days, disappearing the night of March 8 after he was kicked out of a Nashville bar. The bodycam footage was recorded that day at approximately 9.50pm local time. The police stated on Monday, adding to its long thread on X about the case: "No video has been discovered that shows Riley away from Gay St after the 9:52 p.m. timeframe."

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Riley, 22, was in the Delta Chi fraternity at the University of Missouri and had been attending a formal (Metro Nashville PD)

While in the Broadway area of the Tennessee city, Riley, while out with his Delta Chi fraternity brothers, all of whom attend the University of Missouri, allegedly drank too much at their formal, and he was kicked out, his family has said.

At about 9.46pm that evening, Riley could be seen walking down the street, stumbling as he walked alone. A minute later, at 9.47pm, he was seen walking behind a group and checking his phone. Then, the interaction with the police occurred, and that was the last time anyone saw him.

Riley's brief exchange of greetings w/ Officer Reginald Young on Gay St (@MNPDNashville/Twitter)

His bank card was later found on the embankment of the Cumberland River between it and Gay Street near Riverfront Park, and the police have said there's still no evidence of foul play as the search continues. The authorities have scoured the area using drones, foot patrols and boats with sonar equipment and have also been attempting to access location data from his phone and Apple Watch but without much luck.

The bar Riley was kicked out of is reportedly owned by country star Luke Bryan, who stated later that he was praying for the student as the desperate search for him continues. Riley reportedly told his frat brothers that he was heading back to the hotel. He never made it.

Previously released CCTV footage shows Riley stumbling on the street after he was kicked out of the bar

His mother, Michelle Whiteid, reportedly called him hours prior but began to worry when she didn't hear from him since. His friends called 911 the following morning after he didn't return.

Riley was allegedly spotted at a homeless camp not far from where he disappeared near the Cumberland River, family friend Chris Dingman said.

His phone reportedly pinged on Life360 and Snapchat near two homeless camps, also located near the river, as well as a Verizon tower near Public Square Park around 30 to 45 minutes after he left the bar.

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Riley's family travelled from Springfield, Missouri, where he's from, to aid in the search, but nothing has yet turned up as they scour the area for him. An investigation is also reportedly underway at the bar to determine if he was overserved before he disappeared.

Anyone with information on Riley's whereabouts is being asked to call the Metropolitan Nashville Police at 615-862-8600.

Jeremiah Hassel