Riley Strain's death was 'accidental' as no signs of foul play are seen in ... trends now
Riley Strain's death was 'accidental' with no foul play, according to a preliminary autopsy by police after the 22-year-old's body was found in a river on Friday.
Strain disappeared on March 8 after he was kicked out Luke's Bridge Food + Drink during a fraternity trip to Nashville, Tennessee .
A massive two week search ended when workers found his body in the Cumberland River eight miles away from where he vanished.
On Saturday Metro Nashville Police Department told News 2 that a preliminary autopsy had been completed and had concluded that his death was 'accidental' with no indications of foul play.
It is not yet clear what the exact cause of his death was, or why Strain was in the river.
Strain's family, who had traveled from Missouri to Nashville for the search shared the news he had been found on Friday. His mother, Michelle, said: 'I just ask that you mommas out there, hug your babies tight tonight please.'
In a statement, police in Nashville confirmed that a body pulled from the Cumberland River this morning was that of the missing 22-year-old
Michelle Strain Whiteid, Riley Strain's heartbroken mother has broken her silence in a press conference just hours after her 22-year-old son was found dead in a river eight miles from where he vanished in Nashville
She echoed the words of her husband Chris, Riley's stepfather, and the 22-year-old's father Ryan Gilbert of how much they appreciated the support from across the country.
'Please, for me, just hug your babies tight tonight. And again, thank you. Thank you for sharing our story.'
Despite the family previously criticizing the police, Gilbert thanked the Metro Nashville Police Department for their efforts, as well as the volunteer United Cajun Navy.
'It's just unbelievable what they've done for us,' Gilbert said.
Stepfather Chris thanked the entire Nashville community for their help in trying to find Riley.
'It's been an emotional roller-coaster. We're quite thankful for everything that you've done for our family. The grace that you've given us, it means a lot, more than you'll ever know.'
'To the people of Nashville, I can't thank you enough for the support, the love, the encouragement that you've shown myself and my wife,' Chris said.
Despite the family's criticism previously, Gilbert thanked the Metro Nashville Police Department for their efforts, as well as the volunteer United Cajun Navy
Stepfather Chris thanked the entire Nashville community for their help in trying to find Riley
'You don't understand how much that meant to us in some of our darkest hours.'
The Delta Chi fraternity member was in Tennessee on a trip for their annual spring formal when he was kicked out of the bar just after 9:30 p.m.
Earlier this week, his bank card was found near the Cumberland River and rescue teams were also seen scouring a dam 40 miles from where he was last spotted.
Strain had told his friends that he would meet them back at their hotel, but was nowhere to be seen when the group returned from their night out.
His friends tried contacting him, but received no response and they reported Strain as missing as they failed to locate him via his Snapchat location.
At a press conference on Friday morning, Chief John Drake told reporters: 'This morning around 7:28 am we received a call from a worker.
'As they were removing an object from the river, they noticed what appeared to be Riley Strain pop up.
'The medical examiners officer reviewed the body and confirmed that it is Riley Strain.
