Luke Bryan‘s bar in Nashville has come under investigation after a college student went missing from there last week. Now, officials in Tennessee are concerned that 22-year-old Riley Strain might have been overserved alcohol before he was booted from the bar without his friends.
The incident occurred at about 9:45 p.m. local time last Friday night. Strain, who attends the University of Missouri, was visiting the central Tennessee town with friends for a spring fraternity formal. After drinking for a while at Luke’s 32 Bridge Food + Drink with pals, Strain was asked by management to leave. And then… he disappeared.
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He told friends he was walking back to their hotel. However, he never made it back, and nobody has any clue where he is now. Security surveillance footage from other businesses in downtown Nashville picked up parts of his walk. One video released by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department on Wednesday shows Strain crossing 1st Avenue North towards Gay Street at 9:47 p.m. on Friday night — just about two minutes after he left the bar. Per local reports, he appears to sway, stumble, and then does a 360-degree turn before continuing to walk in the opposite direction from the Tempo Hotel, where he and his group were staying. Other surveillance footage (below), shows him falling to the ground in another part of downtown Nashville:
NEW Surveillance Video shows Riley Strain stumbling & falling in a parking lot off Church Street. It’s tough to watch. We will have a full breakdown of everything we know at 9 PM tonight.
Video courtesy of: Downtown Smoke & Vape Shop pic.twitter.com/WchOhnxGZY
— Kelly Avellino (@KellyAvellino) March 12, 2024
Now, the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission is officially investigating Luke’s bar. That outlet’s communications director Andrew Rummage confirmed the investigation to NBC News on Wednesday:
“We are investigating whether Mr. Strain was served alcohol while he was visibly intoxicated.”
Per that outlet, Tennessee state law “prohibits serving alcoholic beverages to someone who is visibly intoxicated.” And while there are no rules for escorting out visibly drunk patrons, and no requirements that establishments must adhere to as far as getting people home safely, overserving drunk patrons is a class A misdemeanor in Tennessee.
The country singer himself briefly noted the situation on his Instagram Stories earlier this week, writing:
“Y’all this is scary. Praying for his safe return.”
His family has since set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the search. You can view that page HERE. As of Friday morning, he has not been located. Late this week, police have been checking areas around the city’s Jefferson Street Bridge and the winding Cumberland River that runs through town:
Our Urban Search & Rescue team has assembled today to search further along the brush line of the riverbank for 22-year-old Riley Strain. Anyone with info is still asked to ???? 615-742-7463. pic.twitter.com/4MfxufhrDk
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) March 14, 2024
Per a police press conference on Wednesday afternoon, there is no indication as of now that Strain was met with foul play. Instead, cops are continuing to look at the case as a missing person investigation. We pray that he is found safe and his family and loved ones can see him again.
If you or someone you know is experiencing substance abuse, help is available. Consider checking out the resources SAMHSA provides at https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline or check out StartYourRecovery.org.
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