Riley Strain Investigation: Missing College Student's Phone Did Not Ran Out of Battery; Fraternity Brothers 'Heartbroken' as Search Continues

Riley Strain Fraternity Brothers search continues phone

By Jackelyn Cornejo , Parent Herald Mar 20, 12:19 pm

Photo: (Photo : JASPER JACOBS/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images )

A close friend of Riley Strain's family, who has gone missing from the University of Missouri, revealed that despite initial assumptions, Riley's phone still had battery power when it stopped working.

Chris Dingman shared this information during an interview on NewsNation's "Elizabeth Vargas Reports" on Tuesday.

Authorities Investigate College Student Riley Strain's Disappearance

Riley Strain, a senior at the University of Missouri, disappeared on March 8 after reportedly being accompanied out of a downtown bar where he was partying with his fraternity brothers.

Authorities have been working to backtrack his steps to perceive what led to his disappearance. The search efforts get help from the United Cajun Navy, a national disaster response organization, which deployed hovercraft and airboats to search the river for any signs of Strain.

David Flagg of the United Cajun Navy stated that they are scouring the river and organizing a systematic ground search.

Dingman expressed frustration over the delay in initiating the initial investigation, despite efforts to involve other agencies such as the FBI and TBI.

Surveillance footage captured Strain heading towards the Cumberland River, looking disoriented and stumbling. His last known interaction was with a police officer before his phone turned off minutes later.

Dingman also clarified that Strain's removal from the bar was not due to any confrontation but rather a conversation with an employee, indicating that Strain was trying to help.

Riley Strain's fraternity brothers, who were with him on the evening he disappeared in Nashville, Tennessee, are feeling "devastated" as the search for the 22-year-old continues, according to Strain's mother.

During a tearful news conference on Tuesday, Michelle Whiteid, Strain's mother, expressed her love for the fraternity brothers, stating, "We love these boys like our own. It's just as difficult for them as it is for us."

"We're solely focused on bringing Riley home," she added. "He's my closest companion." Strain disappeared on March 8 following a night out in Nashville.

Strain and his fraternity brothers from the University of Missouri's Delta Chi were in Nashville for their fraternity formal and had been out in the city's Broadway area.

Surveillance cameras and police body cameras captured Strain's last movements between roughly 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Authorities have been conducting searches on foot, using drones and boats equipped with sonar technology, according to police.

While Nashville residents have volunteered to assist in the search, Flagg cautioned that the riverbank terrain is steep and hazardous. "Our primary goal is to locate Riley. Our secondary goal is to ensure the safety of those participating in the search," he emphasized.

Evidence Found Could Lead to Riley Strain's Whereabouts

On Sunday, Strain's bank card was discovered on the embankment between Gay Street and the Cumberland River, near Riverfront Park, according to police reports. However, Nashville Police Sgt. Robert Nielsen emphasized that there is still no evidence of a crime.

"We have received multiple reports claiming that Riley was being pursued or followed," Nielsen stated. "However, we have not found any evidence to support these claims.

We have reviewed the footage multiple times, and we released the body camera footage of Strain's interaction with an officer at approximately 10 p.m. because it shows that he was not injured, nor does it suggest that he was fleeing from anything."

"Our objective remains to locate Riley and bring him home," added Strain's stepfather, Chris Whiteid.

Flagg encouraged individuals interested in volunteering for the search to register at unitedcajunnavy.org.