The parents of Riley Strain are speaking to media in hopes of finding their son and sharing more details about his disappearance.
22-year-old Riley Strain went missing Friday (March 8) during a trip to Nashville with his University of Missouri fraternity. He was last seen leaving Luke Bryan’s Nashville bar, Luke’s 32 Bridge + Food, after allegedly being kicked out around 10 p.m.
Christopher Whiteid, Strain’s stepfather, told the St. Louis Post Dispatch that Riley told his friends that he was going back to their hotel. But he never made it.
Strain’s father and stepmother, Ryan and Millie Gilbert, and mom and stepdad, Chris and Michelle Whiteid, sat down for an emotional interview with News Nation.
In the interview, the parents sent a message to Riley saying, “I love you so much. We’re trying so hard to find you,” Riley’s mom said through tears. His dad added, “We want you to know that we’re not giving up on you. We’re here waiting on you.”
When asked if they knew why he had been kicked out of the bar, Whiteid shared that they had spoken to the bartender who said that Riley had been “overserved.” He added, “When they took [Riley] out, his friend was trying to go out with him, but they would not let him at that point.”
Riley’s family received a call Saturday morning about his disappearance and “threw some stuff together, started making phone calls and hopped on the road to try to get to Nashville as soon as possible.”
Surveillance Footage Released
The Metro Nashville Police and downtown businesses have released surveillance video that shows Riley Strain’s last known locations. The footage shows Strain stumbling, seemingly disoriented, as he walked through downtown Nashville.
Nashville police release surveillance video of Riley Strain on night he went missing https://t.co/XfI9ifVBSK pic.twitter.com/m4THRODreL
— FoxNashville (@FOXNashville) March 12, 2024
Luke Bryan Speaks Out
In his Instagram Stories Tuesday night, country star Luke Bryan offered prayers for Riley Strain’s safe return. “Y’all this is scary,” Bryan wrote. “Praying for his safe return.” The message accompanied a screen shot of a statement from Bryan’s bar that read:
“TC Restaurant Group, operator and owner of Luke’s 32 Bridge is continuing to work closely with the Metro Nashville Police Department to provide security camera footage and any other potentially helpful information to aid in the search for Riley Strain. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones for his safe return.”
Luke also shared a post from the Metro Nashville PD that included a description of Strain and a phone number to call with any information.
