Cops say Riley Strain had 12 to 15 drinks before leaving Nashville bar and drowning

The 22-year-old’s cause of death was drowning and his blood alcohol level was found to be three times the amount allowed to drive

Riley Strain, the University of Missouri student who drowned in the Cumberland River after leaving a Nashville bar, had consumed between 12 to 15 alcoholic drinks before his death, a Metro Nashville police investigation found.

The 22-year-old’s cause of death was drowning and ethanol intoxication, and he was found to have a blood alcohol level of .228, according to the Davidson County Medical Examiner’s Office

Despite his blood alcohol level being three times the amount allowed to drive a vehicle, the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission determined that the college senior had not been overserved the evening of March 8 and that he had been served just one drink and two waters before being escorted out of the bar.

A police investigative file recently obtained by WSMV4 Investigates, which includes interviews with Strain’s Delta Chi fraternity members, reveals how many drinks he allegedly consumed before he even got to the bars in downtown Nashville in the hours that led up to his death.

Riley Strain, who drowned in the Cumberland River after leaving a Nashville bar, had consumed between 12 to 15 alcoholic drinks before his death (AP)

Strain and his fraternity brothers were on a bus traveling from the University of Missouri to Nashville for a fraternity formal. The bus driver had enforced a strict “no alcohol” rule, but two of the students said the group was drinking and that Strain had at least five drinks, including two vodka shots and three IPAs.

David Easlick, an attorney who operated a national fraternity for 29 years and now sues fraternities after the death or injuries of students, told WSMV4 that the amount of alcohol in those drinks violates the chapter’s own rules which states that no drink with more than 15 percent alcohol can be served at a fraternity function unless it is served by a licensed third party.

“This is basically an out-of-control party situation,” Easlick added.

Video footage from Casa Rosa in downtown Nashville shows Strain drinking a margarita at 4:55 p.m., according to TABC investigators, who reviewed footage from all the bars Strain went to that night. They found he was served alcohol three times.

However, the footage showed no indication that Strain was visibly drunk when he was served at that time, according to a TABC spokesperson. It is unclear when Strain consumed all the 12-15 alcoholic drinks estimated by MNPD, WSMV4 reported.

WSMV4 Investigates presented the police findings to the national chapter of Delta Chi but a Delta Chi spokesman would not comment, and only referred to a statement previously posted about the fraternity’s sadness about Strain’s death.

The police findings also included notes about the video footage released last month that showed the moment Strain left the bar.

An aerial photo of the Cumberland River in Nashville. Riley Strain’s body was found in the river on March 22 approximately 8 miles from where he disappeared in downtown Nashville (Metro Nashville Police Department)

At 8.40pm, the footage showed Strain began to stumble repeatedly, according to investigators. At 9.38pm, he was escorted out of Luke Bryan’s 32 Bridge Food + Drink by a staff member following an argument.

Strain then can be seen in the video shakily walking downstairs toward an exterior door while conversing with a male staffer.

Staff at the bar also took a photo of Strain on March 8, noting he had been kicked out of the bar for being “verbally aggressive” with staff.

After he left the bar, Strain was seen on other surveillance cameras stumbling around the streets of downtown Nashville. He later encountered a police officer who asked him how he was doing, with Strain replying that he was doing fine. The interaction was captured by the officer’s bodycam.

GPS data pulled from Strain’s phone showed that after he left the bar he began wandering in the opposite direction of his hotel, which took him near the Cumberland River. Strain disappeared sometime after 9:45 p.m. that night.

Luke Bryan’s 32 Bridge Food + Drink in downtown Nashville. University of Missouri student Riley Strain was kicked out of the bar on March 8, 2024 (Alamy Stock Photo)

After a two-week search, the college student’s body was pulled from the Cumberland River in Nashville on March 22.

The bar is owned by Luke Bryan, a country music star. TC Restaurant Group, which operates and owns Luke’s 32 Bridge Food + Drink, worked closely with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department on its investigation into the missing student, the singer previously said.

Bryan’s bar is located in the busy Broadway area in downtown Nashville and offers live music every night. It sits around two blocks from the Cumberland River.