New report details events leading up to University of Missouri student’s death in Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (KMIZ) 

A report from the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission has provided new details into what occurred in the hours leading up to Riley Strain’s death. 

The University of Missouri student went missing on March 8 after being kicked out of a downtown Nashville bar. He was later discovered floating in the Cumberland River on March 22.

Strain’s autopsy and toxicology report showed that alcohol contributed to his accidental drowning. The Davidson County Medical Examiner's Office revealed in June that Strain had a blood alcohol content of 0.228. The toxicology tests detected in his system isopropanol (a form of alcohol), caffeine, cotinine, nicotine and THC.

Nashville police previously stated that "no foul-play-related trauma was observed" after Strain’s body was found.

The Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission opened an investigation on March 13 into Luke’s 32 Bridge, the bar where Strain was last seen. 

As part of the investigation, the department contacted Strain’s father, Ryan Gilbert, his roommate Joey Cockell, another roommate who was also the last to see him, Braden Baltz, and the Delta Chi Mizzou Chapter President AJ Townsend. 

According to the report, Townsend told investigators over the phone that on March 8, the fraternity traveled to Nashville on four buses. Townsend said Strain was not on his bus, but he saw him at the hotel in Nashville around 4:30 p.m. in “good spirits.” However, Townsend stated he was not with Strain while he was in the downtown area. 

However, Baltz told investigators that he was with Strain in downtown Nashville that night. According to the report, Baltz told investigators that around 4:30 p.m. a group from the fraternity walked to "Miranda Lambert's bar," where Strain ordered a margarita. He was unsure if Strain ordered anything else. 

The group left the bar an hour later and walked over to Garth Brooks' "Friends in Low Places Bar" where Baltz believes Strain drank “2-3 rum and cokes and 3 Nutrl,” a hard seltzer with 5% alcohol. At approximately 7:45 p.m., the group walked to Luke Bryan’s Bridge 32, where the report says that Strain may have had another rum and coke. At 8 p.m., the group went to "Kid Rock’s bar," but Baltz was unsure what Strain was drinking. The fraternity returned to Luke's 32 at 8:30 p.m. Baltz said in the report that he got Strain two glasses of water because he had begun to slur his words.

A witness statement from a bar employee says that Strain went to the downstairs bar and asked for water. The employee says she had a brief conversation with him where he said he was “waiting for a friend.” The employee went on to say that he asked for a shot, but she declined to serve him. Strain then walked upstairs to the rooftop bar. 

On the rooftop, Baltz says in the report that Strain then attempted to close out his tab, even though he did not open a tab when he returned to the bar. Witness statements in the report say that Strain was arguing with the bartender while trying to pay his tab. Another bar employee described Strain in the report as “severely intoxicated” and that his behavior was “aggressive.” 

When the bartender heard Strain slurring his words, she told the bouncer to kick him out of the rooftop bar, the report states. Baltz then claims in the report that while Strain was being escorted down the stairs someone from the group may have said “Meet you at hotel.” He then claimed he called Strain minutes after he was ejected from the bar and Strain had told him over the phone that he was on his way to the hotel. That was the last time he heard from Strain, the report states. 

On April 1, Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission investigators spoke with the director of security of "Garth Brooks bar," who provided them with a flash drive with surveillance video of Strain at the bar, as well as his credit card transactions. The transactions show that Strain purchased two whiskey and cokes, two Nutrl hard seltzers, and one rum and Coca-Cola. 

On April 16, investigators finished viewing all the videos and documents that were provided to them. They determined with an attorney that Strain was not visibly intoxicated when he was served in the four bars because he was stable and on his feet. The report adds that the video showed Strain having a brief conversation with one of his fraternity brothers as he was being escorted down the stairs by a Luke 32 bouncer. After the conversation, the fraternity member returned upstairs while Strain walked down the block by himself.   

His death was ruled accidental after an autopsy and toxicology report determined the cause of death was drowning in the Cumberland River while intoxicated.

Tennessee authorities concluded last month that there was no evidence  Strain was not overserved.

A private investigator wrote earlier this week that Strain was seen alone under a bridge at 9:58 p.m.