The revelation came from Chris Dingman, a close associate of the 22-year-old's family, during an interview with NewsNation on Wednesday, nearly two weeks after Strain's disappearance on March 8.
Dingman disclosed that a couple, who are also parents, had communicated with Strain's family, stating they had a conversation with the student that fateful night. "The mother reached out, she saw Riley, she made a comment, like, 'You're not driving tonight?' and he goes, 'No ma'am," Dingman recounted the interaction. He described this information as "literally incredible news," adding that the couple had also relayed this information to the Nashville police.
Strain was visiting Nashville with his college fraternity, Delta Chi, at the time of his disappearance. On March 8, the group decided to explore the city's downtown bars. However, Strain was ejected from Luke's 32 Bridge Food + Drink, a bar owned by country singer Luke Bryan, shortly before 10 pm, leading to his separation from his friends.
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The bar management had previously clarified that Strain was asked to leave based on their conduct standards, stating that he had been served only one alcoholic drink and two waters. Dingman had earlier refuted claims of Strain's removal due to a fight or altercation, suggesting instead that a staff member felt Strain had had enough.
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Dingman further clarified on Wednesday that Strain was "trying to help somebody, there was miscommunication with the staff and possibly the actual bar." He also confirmed that Strain had visited another bar before Luke's, but the amount of alcohol consumed remained uncertain.
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The exact timing of the couple's interaction with Strain remains unclear, particularly whether it occurred before or after surveillance footage captured Strain walking near the river. Last week, the Nashville Police Department released footage showing Strain stumbling and falling over while crossing the road and walking down Gay Street, near his last known location.
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Strain was also seen by a police officer minutes later, with bodycam footage showing the officer greeting Strain and asking about his wellbeing. "I'm good, how are you?" Strain responds before continuing his walk, as shown in the video.
Another individual claimed to have seen Strain causing a "commotion" at a Nashville homeless encampment, describing him as "very intoxicated." Chris Whiteid, Strain's stepfather, told NBC News that Strain had visited two more bars before being ejected from the third. However, he questioned "whether it was alcohol or something else," referring to Strain's apparent loss of balance in the footage.
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Whiteid also revealed that since his stepson's disappearance, he has received messages from up to 10 people claiming they were drugged while visiting bars in Nashville. However, Police spokesperson Don Aaron stated that there is no evidence of foul play in Strain's disappearance. "To those who are saying that they believe he could have been in distress, that somebody could have been after him as he walked onto Gay Street, well, as you see in the video, he's walking by himself on the river side and speaks to a police officer as the officer is looking at a vehicle that had been broken into," Aaron said.
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