Family of dead Mizzou student Riley Strain requests second autopsy: Reports

The family of Riley Strain, a former Mizzou student who went missing from a Nashville bar earlier this month, wants another autopsy. 

Police found Strain’s body in the Cumberland River in Nashville, Tennessee a couple weeks after he was last seen, according to previous USA TODAY reporting.

The 22-year-old made his way to Nashville to attend the annual spring formal for his fraternity Delta Chi, University of Missouri Associate Director of Public Affairs Travis Zimpher told USA TODAY.

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department was called in to assist friends, who were unable to reach him via phone and social media the night of March 8. It took search crews about 13 days to locate Strain’s body.

Here’s what we know.

Riley Strain’s death appears accidental, additional autopsy ordered

With Strain’s preliminary autopsy complete, loved ones are hoping they might uncover additional details that may have been missed the first time, NewsNation reported.

“The family deserves more answers than we have … I think there’s somebody out there that knows what actually happened that night,” Chris Dingman, a family friend, told NewsNation Wednesday. 

Officials told WKRN, a NewsNation affiliate, on Saturday that Strain’s death “continued to appear accidental with no foul play-related trauma.” 

“The only thing that was found with him, as the police stated in the report, was the watch and the shirt,” Dingman said.

Strain was not found with the pants, wallet and cowboy boots he was wearing the night he went missing. The medical examiner also reported that Strain had no water in his lungs, according to NewsNation. 

Dingman said that calls into question whether Strain was alive when he went into the water.

Riley Strain’s funeral set for Friday in hometown, remembered as ‘vibrant spirit’ 

Riley Strain will be remembered by the people who knew him as a young man with "a vibrant spirit and loving nature,” according to an online obituary. 

He graduated from  Kickapoo High School in Springfield, going on to study business and financial planning at the University of Missouri Columbia.

Strain’s natural “ambition” helped him land an internship at Northwestern Mutual, a financial services organization. He also spent a lot of his time volunteering, namely at Wonders of Wildlife. 

“This commitment showcased Riley’s deep care for the community and the environment," according to his obit. "Riley embraced outdoor adventures, whether it was hunting, fishing, or simply enjoying the serenity of the lake."

Strain spent time making lasting memories, with family and with a “beloved trio of pets − Miles the golden doodle, Cooper the red heeler, and the German shepherds, Vikka and Vin,” according to the obit. 

Funeral services are scheduled to begin Friday morning at Greenlawn Funeral Home in Springfield. A private burial will be held at a later date, the obit states. 

The Strain family has asked guests to make donations to the Missouri Department of Conservation in lieu of flowers and to wear something green because “Riley often quipped, ‘Green makes you look good.'"

“Riley Strain’s presence will be profoundly missed, but his joyous approach to life and the happiness he brought to those around him will forever be remembered,” according to his obit.

Contributing: Ahjané Forbes, Kirsten Fiscus, Evan Mealins and Diana Leyva; USA TODAY