Riley Strain’s Cause Of Death Revealed 3 Months After College Student’s Body Was Discovered
Riley Strain’s cause of death has been determined.
Nearly three months after the University of Missouri student’s body was recovered from the Cumberland River in Nashville, a new autopsy report released on Tuesday confirmed he died of drowning and ethanol intoxication. He was 22 years old.
According to NBC News, the report stated that Strain was found floating face down in the water with all his clothing and jewelry intact except his pants. His garments were covered in “a dense film of dark mud,” the report continued.
The autopsy additionally corroborated previous police conclusions that the manner of death was accidental with no foul play suspected.

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View GalleryStrain’s case made national news after he went missing in early March on a trip to Nashville with his Delta Chi fraternity brothers. He was escorted out of country singer Luke Bryan’s bar around 9:35 p.m. per the venue’s “conduct standards” after being served one alcoholic beverage and two waters, the establishment said in a statement at the time.
Police video showed Strain making his way through the downtown area after his exit from Bryan’s bar. In the footage, he appeared to speak briefly with a law enforcement officer before continuing on.
Strain was said to have told his friends he was returning to his hotel after they got separated, but the group reportedly called his mother and stepfather when he hadn’t arrived by the next morning.
Days after Strain’s bank card had been found blocks from the river on March 17, a local worker notified police on upon discovering Strain’s body in the water.
The student’s loved ones held a memorial service in Missouri the following week.
“Riley Strain’s presence will be profoundly missed,” his obituary read in part. “But his joyous approach to life and the happiness he brought to those around him will forever be remembered.”