The final text student sent to friend minutes before going missing ten days ago
Topics: Crime, True Crime, US News
Rhianna Benson
Featured Image Credit: Credit: X/@MNPDNashville
Topics: Crime, True Crime, US News
On Friday 8 March, university student Riley Strain sent his final text message before seemingly disappearing into thin air.
The 22-year-old - who was studying at the University of Missouri at the time of his disappearance - had spent the evening partying with friends in Nashville, Tennessee, where he was asked to leave a bar due to their 'conduct standards'.
The group - which also included Riley's fraternity brothers - had been celebrating their formal before being kicked out of the drinking establishment, where bank transactions studied after his disappearance indicate he only purchased one alcoholic drink and two waters.
CCTV footage also showed the student stumbling down a nearby street on his own at around 9.47pm, before merging with a group of fellow drinkers a minute later, where he was seen checking his phone.
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Riley then bumped into police officer Reginald Young, who'd been called out to investigate a vehicle burglary in the local area, and asked the young student how he was feeling.
"Good, how about you?" he is heard replying on body cam footage.
The officer then continues searching cars in the local area, with this being the final reported sighting of Riley at around 9.52pm.
Shown was Riley's brief exchange of greetings w/ Officer Reginald Young on Gay St., south of the Woodland St. Bridge, on the night of 3/8. Riley did not appear distressed. Officer Young was there on a vehicle burglary call & remained on that portion of Gay St. for 45 min. pic.twitter.com/z0xeEzeieK
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) March 18, 2024
"No video has been discovered that shows Riley away from Gay St after the 9.52pm timeframe," authorities from Nashville police later wrote on social media.
On the Sunday - two days after he was declared missing - his bank card was discovered on the embankment of the Cumberland River, though police declared that no suspected foul play was involved.
Investigating authorities have also patrolled the surrounding areas with both drones and boats with sonar equipment in the hope of shedding light on what befell the youngster that night.
One of Riley's family friends has since addressed his disappearance, claiming that the student had been texting a female friend on the last night he was seen alive.
Chris Dingham explained that the unknown female had checked up on Riley during the course of the evening, to which Riley bizarrely replied: "Good lops."
The text was sent ten minutes before his last known sighting.
He confessed that the revelation regarding his friend's final text has made the investigation more complicated.
The woman in question also reportedly insisted she didn't know what Riley meant by his comment, describing it as 'unclear slang'.
Branding the message 'scripted', family friend Chris continued: "Every piece of the puzzle we've been receiving, it leads us down 100 more questions.
"We're no closer to finding Riley. We just want Riley home. He's a great kid. He has a lot going for him."