Riley Strain’s parents accept his diploma in tears at Mizzou’s graduation ceremony

COLUMBIA, Mo. (Gray News) – Riley Strain’s family accepted his diploma at the University of Missouri’s graduation ceremony on Saturday at the Mizzou Arena.

At the ceremony for the Mizzou College of Arts and Sciences, Strain’s name was the first one to be called.

As the crowd gave a standing ovation, Strain’s parents and step-parents accepted their son’s diploma in tears.

Strain, a 22-year-old student at Mizzou, was found dead in the Cumberland River in Nashville after getting kicked out of a bar in March. He was set to graduate from Mizzou this month.

The Davidson County Medical Examiner’s Office has completed the toxicology report for Strain and said it will be released along with the complete autopsy report.

Strain went missing on March 8 after getting kicked out of Luke’s 32 Bridge in downtown Nashville while on a trip with friends, police said.

Strain’s body was found in the Cumberland River on March 22 after two weeks of extensive search by air, boat, and on foot that included numerous law enforcement agencies and volunteers.

His disappearance caught the attention of national news and social media.

Videos released by businesses and police show Strain stumbling and falling around Nashville after being kicked out of the bar.

The Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission has launched an investigation into whether Strain was overserved alcohol on the night of his disappearance.

Luke’s 32 Bridge claims Strain was served just one alcoholic beverage and two glasses of water while he was at the bar.

The TABC has worked with local law enforcement to determine where else he was served alcohol that night. Its investigation is ongoing.

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