A Witness In The Riley Strain Case Recanted Their Statement Under Interrogation!

The family of Riley Strain desperately wants answers about what happened to him — especially now that a witness has retracted their statement!

As we previously reported, the University of Missouri student went missing on March 8 during a night out with his fraternity brothers. It all started with the 22-year-old getting kicked out of Luke Bryan’s bar in downtown Nashville. A few folks encountered him outside, and then… he was gone. Two weeks after an extensive search by police, Riley’s body was discovered in the Cumberland River. A preliminary autopsy found no foul play was involved in his death, and it was ruled it “accidental.” Toxicology results are still pending.

However, his family was understandably skeptical of the results. They even hired a private company to perform an independent autopsy. As family friend Chris Dingman told NewsNation last month, they want to determine if there could be more to the story here than just a drunk guy falling into the river. Like the first autopsy, this new expert said there were “no obvious signs of trauma, as in weapons, guns or knives or etc.” But there were oddities. Riley also didn’t have his jeans or boots on, and his wallet wasn’t recovered, as the police report stated.

But what really perplexed the family? According to Dingman, the coroner found no water in the college student’s lungs! He explained:

“It raises more questions, you know? I’m not a crime drama person by no means, but usually water in the lungs means that, you know, they were alive when they went into the water.”

Weeks after his body was found, there’s finally been a massive development in the case. Dingman explained to NewsNation on April 9 that a person came forward claiming they were the last person to speak to Riley before he went missing! He added:

“That was huge. That was something we were looking for. He told the detective his account of the story of what happened to Riley.”

The family appears to have gotten their hopes up too soon, though. A spokesperson for the Nashville Police Department confirmed to E! News over the weekend that an unnamed witness said they saw and spoke to Riley on the night of March 8. However, the police later learned that was not the truth. After more questioning, the witness recanted their statement! They said they had not seen Riley — but someone else. Damn. The spokesperson added:

“The case remains open and unclassified, pending the report from the medical examiner’s office, which is awaiting toxicology reports. Until now, there is no tangible reason to believe there was any foul play involved.”

Now the family is back to square one in trying to find out what happened to the young man. So sad. Hopefully they’ll get answers soon. Reactions to the latest in the Riley Strain case? Let us know in the comments.

[Image via Metro Nashville Police Department]