Riley Strain’s mother and stepfather aren’t giving up hope that they will eventually find their 22-year-old son, who has been missing since March 8.
“We’re still, you know, actively planning to bring Riley home with us,” Strain’s stepfather, Chris Whiteid, told NBC News in an interview Saturday, just over a week since his stepson went missing.
But even as they confront their darkest moment, Chris Whiteid and his wife Michelle Whiteid said the outpouring of support and the search efforts of those in the community have “restored our faith in people.”
“We’ve had some really good volunteer organizations that have reached out to us, helped us,” Chris Whiteid said.
Michelle and Chris Whiteid arrived in Nashville on March 9 to try to figure out what happened after Strain was removed from Luke’s 32 Bridge Food + Drink — a bar owned by country singer Luke Bryan — in downtown Nashville.
The bar said in a statement that security escorted Strain out “based on our conduct standards,” and that he exited the front door at 9:35 p.m. According to the statement, Strain was served only one alcoholic drink and two waters while he was there.
“It’s hard to be away from home, but we wouldn’t be anywhere else,” Michelle Whiteid said, with her husband adding that it’s “as comforting as it can be” to be in the city where their son was last seen.
Strain, a senior at the University of Missouri, was visiting the city on a trip with his fraternity, Delta Chi, for spring formal.
More coverage of Riley Strain’s disappearance
Police said he was last seen on security camera footage just before 10 p.m. on March 8. In the video, he appears to sway before doing a 360-degree turn and continuing to walk.
He told his friends he would return to their hotel after leaving Luke’s 32 Bridge, Chris Whiteid told NBC affiliate WSMV of Nashville, but Strain never made it there.
At 9:47 p.m., Strain was seen on security footage released by the Metro Nashville Police Department crossing 1st Avenue…
Read the full article here
