The cause of Riley Strain’s death was revealed following the release of her autopsy report.
The University of Missouri student disappeared during a bar crawl with his friends in Nashville on March 8. He was found dead in a river two weeks later, after a huge manhunt.
It is now known that he died from alcohol poisoning and drowning. News channel Nashville Reports.
The 22-year-old’s blood alcohol level was .228, three times the legal limit.
His system also had traces of Delta 9, a form of THC that is legal and available in Tennessee. The report considered his death accidental.
A two-week search for Strain ended when workers found his body in the Cumberland River eight miles from where he disappeared.
Police had previously ruled out foul play, but her parents had been fighting for answers since her disappearance.
The bar from which he was kicked out on the night of his death stated that he had only sold Strain one alcoholic drink before asking him to leave.
The Delta Chi member was at the bar with his fraternity brothers on a trip to their annual spring party when he was kicked out shortly after 9:30 p.m.
Strain had told his friends he would meet them at their hotel, but he was nowhere to be found when the group returned from their night out.
His friends tried to contact him but received no response and reported Strain missing as they were unable to locate him via his Snapchat location.
The mystery of his disappearance only increased after chilling images emerged of Strain stumbling around the city hours before his death.
Despite this, no cameras captured his fall or placed him in the vicinity of the Cumberland River where his body was found.
The student had reportedly FaceTimed with his mother, Michelle Whiteid, that night and she said nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Strain, 22, was last seen Friday night at Luke Bryan’s on Broadway wearing a two-tone black and brown shirt and blue jeans.
Michelle Strain Whiteid, the heartbroken mother of Riley Strain, broke her silence at a news conference just hours after her 22-year-old son was found dead in a river eight miles from where he disappeared in Nashville.
Her parents previously said cops trashed the investigation into her disappearance, as more tips seemed to come from the public than from officers.
The parents’ criticism of police comes after TikTokers found crucial evidence that investigators failed to uncover more than a week after Strain disappeared.
Anna Clemdening and Brandy Baenen had been scavenging along the riverbank when they located Strain’s bank card.
News of the autopsy report comes just days after his heartbroken parents bravely walked onto the stage at the University of Missouri and accepted Strain’s diploma from the Mizzou College of Arts and Sciences.
Her mother cried and raised her diploma to the sky as students rose and gave her a standing ovation in her honor.
Despite the family previously criticizing police, Gilbert thanked the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department for their efforts, as well as volunteers from the United Cajun Navy.
Riley Strain, 22, went missing during a bar crawl with friends in Nashville and was found dead two weeks later. His parents accepted his diploma from the University of Missouri in his honor.
“It’s just amazing what they’ve done for us,” Gilbert said.
Stepfather Chris thanked the entire Nashville community for their help in trying to find Riley.
“To the people of Nashville, I can’t thank you enough for the support, love and encouragement you have shown me and my wife,” Chris said.
“It has been a roller coaster of emotions. We are so grateful for everything you have done for our family. The grace you have given us means so much, more than you will ever imagine.
