21 March 2024 , 19:47
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The family of missing University of Missouri student Riley Strain have started having difficult conversations as the 22-year-old has remained missing for nearly two weeks now.
It's now been 13 days since the student disappeared from a Nashville bar owned by country star Luke Bryan after he was kicked out on Friday night, March 8. A minute later he was seen on CCTV footage stumbling down the street, then a few minutes after that walking behind a group of people on the street.
A couple of minutes after that, a police body camera captured the young man making small talk with a police officer, who was investigating a vehicle burglary in the area. That was at approximately 9.50pm local time, and Riley appeared fine.
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Riley had been out celebrating with his fraternity brothers at their formal in Nashville when he went missing (Metro Nashville PD)But with time continuing to drag on after that fateful evening, the family is losing hope, and they're starting to face the tough reality that he may not return.
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"Put yourself in our shoes," his stepfather, Chris Witeid, told ABC News. "Your family, your brother, your sister — they've been missing for almost two weeks."
He continued: "Everybody knows it. Everybody's thinking it — those conversations are starting to happen. It's not what we want. And I understand that people want to know what we're feeling — we're feeling frustrated. We're feeling hurt. We're feeling depressed."
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Riley was last spotted by a police officer near the Cumberland River as he walked home from the bar (@MNPDNashville/Twitter)Whiteid noted that "nobody knows what happened to Riley," and that truth is still painful for the family, who just want answers — especially Riley's mother, who Whiteid said spoke to Riley every day.
On March 8, Whiteid recalls Riley FaceTiming his mother from a bar near Broadway in downtown Nashville, and he didn't appear intoxicated at that time. He later texted her, "I love you."
Riley had been out with his fraternity brothers in Delta Chi, a Greek life organisation that boasts alumni like celebrities Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher. They had been celebrating their formal. It remains unclear what led to Riley being kicked out of the bar around 9.30pm that evening.
The search for Riley has expanded outside of Nashville as the authorities comb the Cumberland River (WZTV)The police have said there's no evidence of foul play, but they are investigating the bar, Luke's 32 Bridge, to determine whether bartenders overserved the young man. Bryan himself has said he's praying for the boy and that he hopes the search for him yields positive results.
Just a few days ago, on Sunday, the student's bank card was discovered on the embankment of the Cumberland River near Gay Street and Riverfront Park. Drones, boats and foot patrols were seen searching for Riley but to no avail. The search has expanded beyond the major Tennessee city as teams sweep the river and a dam about 30 miles (48km) down the road.
Whiteid said he and the family "feel very confident with everything that's moving forward." He said he's sure "somebody's seen something" and said they need to come forward with that information. He just wants to find his stepson.
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