Riley Strain’s Stepfather Details Difficult Family Conversations Amid Search Efforts

Riley Strain's stepfather is asking for empathy. 

Nearly two weeks after the University of Missouri student went missing during a fraternity trip to Nashville, Chris Whiteid says his family is starting to have difficult conversations. 

"Everybody knows it, everybody's thinking it," he told ABC News on March 20. "Those conversations are starting to happen. 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."

And Chris—who shares his stepson with wife Michelle Whiteid—hopes the public will understand his family's pain. 

"Put yourself in our shoes," he added. "Your family, your brother, your sister—they've been missing for almost two weeks. Nobody knows what happened to Riley."

Riley, 22, was last seen on March 8 during a Nashville bar night with his Delta Chi fraternity brothers, that included visits to Luke Bryan's bar, Luke 32 Food + Drink, as well as Casa Rosa and Garth Brooks' Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky Tonk. At around 9:30 p.m. that evening, the missing college student was kicked out of Luke 32, according to Nashville Metro police, and told his friends he was going to walk back to their hotel.

His last known whereabouts were near Gay St. and Riverfront Park, where he was walking. He was also caught on camera near the area politely interacting with a police officer, who claimed he "did not appear distressed." On March 18, nearly two weeks after his disappearance, Riley's bank card was located in an embankment near the Cumberland River, but investigators said "no evidence of foul play has surfaced."

As the search for their son continues, Chris and Michelle have been open about the distress they've endured during this time. 

"It's so hard—I just need to know where my son is," Michelle told WSMV March 11. "We talk every day, multiple times a day. This is the longest I've ever gone without talking to him."

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