Riley Strain: Luke Bryan seeks help in finding student who vanished after being kicked out of his bar

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE: Country music icon Luke Bryan has lent his voice to the growing concern over the disappearance of Riley Strain, a University of Missouri student, who reportedly went missing after leaving the singer's bar called 'Luke’s 32 Bridge Food + Drink' on Friday, March 8 night, around 10 pm.

The 22-year-old was on a spring break trip to Nashville with his fraternity brothers, sparking a frantic search effort that has yet to yield any leads, according to reports.

Bryan took to social media to express his concern, sharing a heartfelt message on his Instagram Story. He wrote, "Y'all this is scary. Praying for his safe return."

The singer also shared a post from Nashville Metro Police, urging the public to come forward with any information about Strain's whereabouts.

Timeline of Riley Strain's disappearance 

The circumstances surrounding Strain's disappearance are deeply troubling. According to reports, he was asked to leave the bar after an evening out with his fraternity brothers.

Despite assurances that he would return to his hotel, the Tempo by Hilton, he was later reported missing when his friends discovered he hadn't made it back. His phone has not been active since. 

Metro Police shared surveillance footage revealing glimpses of Strain wandering the streets of Nashville on 1st Avenue North and Gay Street, seemingly disoriented. His last known location was near the Cumberland River, raising concerns that he may have fallen into the water.

Cops continue looking for Riley Strain

Riley Strain stands at 6 feet 5 inches tall, weighing 160 pounds, with blue eyes and light brown hair. The University of Missouri senior was last spotted clad in a black or brown button-up shirt featuring a black chest pocket, paired with blue jeans, brown boots, and a black Apple watch.

Additional video footage depicts Strain on Church Street, donning the identical black and brown shirt noted by his friends upon his departure.

Observers witnessed him appearing to stumble as he navigated downtown Nashville. His family indicated that bar staff felt he had consumed too much alcohol.

Desperate search for missing son leaves parents grasping for hope

Strain's family has been vocal about their anguish, describing the ordeal as a "bad dream" from which they hope to awaken. “We talk every day, multiple times a day,” his mother Michelle Whiteid said.

“This is the longest I’ve ever gone without talking to him,” she added, reported The Sun.

Strain's parents have traveled to Tennessee, where they are anxiously awaiting any updates on their son's whereabouts.  

Anyone with information about Riley’s disappearance is asked to call police at 615-862-8600. Anyone on the University of Missouri’s campus who has any information is asked to call MU Police at 573-882-7201.

Netizens hold bar responsible for Riley Strain's disappearance

Social media users slammed Luke Bryan's bar's management for throwing an intoxicated young man out on the street without any concern for his safety. A social media user tweeted, "The bar is really liable here, not only for serving him drunk, but for then throwing him out."

Another added, "Bro, why they actin like luke bryan got anything to do with that missing student? fr tho, just tryna stir up drama smh."

A third said, "His friends should’ve left the bar when he got kicked out. Sad no one helped him when he was falling all over the place."

"Gotta yank liquor licenses! If they were on Murfreesboro Rd they would have been padlocked. The DT bar business model is to sell as many drinks as possible until they throw you out. Cars aren’t allowed on lower Broad anymore because they were stumbling out of bars & into traffic," read a tweet.

Another user added, "That seems like a secondary issue. The fact that they kicked a supper intoxicated person out without helping them find their way is inexcusable. IMO."

"And why kick people out alone who have been over-served? That seems like a very bad practice. If the bar hadn’t made him leave like that, he would still be here," stated a user.

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