Over 10 days into the search for missing college student Riley Strain, his family said they’re starting to have difficult conversations.
“Put yourself in our shoes,” Strain’s stepfather, Chris Whiteid, told ABC News on Wednesday. “Your family, your brother, your sister — they’ve been missing for almost two weeks.”
“Everybody knows it, everybody’s thinking it — those conversations are starting to happen,” he said. “It’s not what we want. And I understand that people want to know what we’re feeling — we’re feeling frustrated, we’re feeling hurt, we’re feeling depressed.”
“Nobody knows what happened to Riley,” he said.
Strain, a 22-year-old senior at the University of Missouri, went missing on March 8 after a night out in Nashville.
In two undated photos provided by the Metro Nashville Police Department, Riley Strain, 22, is shown.
@MNPDNashville/X
Strain and his Delta Chi fraternity brothers were in Nashville for their fraternity formal and went out in the city’s Broadway area.
Whiteid said Strain spoke to his mom multiple times a day. On the night of March 8, Whiteid said Strain FaceTimed his mom from a bar and didn’t sound intoxicated.
Strain and his mom exchanged more texts after the FaceTime call, Whiteid said. The last text Strain sent to his mom that night was, “I love you.”
Surveillance cameras and police body cameras captured Strain’s last known movements from about 9:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Sightings of College Student Riley Strain
ABC News
Police released this body camera video of Strain speaking to a police officer around 9:50 p.m. The officer asked how he was doing, and Strain, walking alone, responded, “I’m good, how are you?”
Whiteid said Strain sounded like his usual polite self in that interaction with the officer.
“Why he didn’t ask for help, I can’t answer,” Whiteid said. “It makes no sense.”
Police said there is no evidence of foul play.
On Sunday, Strain’s bank card was found on the embankment between Gay Street and the Cumberland River, near Riverfront Park, police said.
Authorities have been searching by foot, by drone and by boat, including using boats with sonar equipment, according to police.
The United Cajun Navy has also arrived in Nashville to help and is organizing volunteers. David Flagg of the United Cajun Navy said they’re searching the river and are putting together a “structured and organized ground search.”
And the search is now stretching beyond Nashville, with authorities on Wednesday shutting down a dam to look through debris about 30 miles downstream from the riverbanks where Strain was last seen, according to Nashville ABC affiliate WKRN.
“We feel very confident with everything that’s moving forward,” Whiteid said of the police investigation, city support and volunteer searches. “There’s not a playbook we can go by when, you know, something like this happens, so the more experienced people you can have in your corner, the better.”
Whiteid said that he believes “somebody’s seen something, somebody knows something.”
“They just have to realize they need to share that information with us,” he said.
As the search for missing teenager Riley Strain intensifies in Nashville, her stepdad has opened up about the challenging conversations the family has been having during this difficult time. Riley, a 17-year-old high school student, went missing two weeks ago and her disappearance has sparked a city-wide search effort.
In an emotional interview, Riley’s stepdad, John, shared how the family has been coping with the uncertainty of not knowing where she is. “It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions for all of us,” he said. “We’re trying to stay positive and hopeful, but it’s hard not knowing what happened to her.”
John also discussed the difficult conversations the family has had to have with Riley’s younger siblings about their sister’s disappearance. “It’s tough to explain to them why Riley isn’t home and when she’ll be back,” he said. “We’re trying to be honest with them while also protecting them from the harsh reality of the situation.”
The family has been working closely with law enforcement and volunteers in the search for Riley, but so far there have been no significant leads. John expressed his gratitude for the outpouring of support from the community. “The love and support we’ve received from friends, neighbors, and even strangers has been overwhelming,” he said. “It gives us hope that we’ll find Riley and bring her home safely.”
As the search continues, John urged anyone with information about Riley’s whereabouts to come forward. “We just want her back home with us,” he said. “If anyone knows anything, please don’t hesitate to contact authorities. Every little bit of information helps.”
The family is holding onto hope that Riley will be found soon and are staying strong together during this challenging time. “We’re a close-knit family and we’re leaning on each other for support,” John said. “We believe that Riley will come back to us and we won’t stop searching until she does.”
