June 19 (UPI) -- Riley Strain, the Missouri college student whose body was found in a Nashville river after he was reported missing, died of accidental drowning and alcohol poisoning, the medical examiner's office announced Tuesday.
"After review of available investigative information including video surveillance, autopsy examination and toxicological analysis, it is my opinion that Riley Strain, a 22-year-old male, died as a result of drowning and ethanol intoxication," according to Medical Examiner Gulpreet Bowman.
Strain's body was found in the Cumberland River on March 22, two weeks after he was kicked-out of Luke Bryan's 32 Bridge bar where he had been drinking with his Delta Chi fraternity brothers. The bar claimed Strain was served one drink and two waters before he was escorted out.
Tennessee's Alcoholic Beverage Commission is investigating whether Strain was over-served alcohol before he was turned away. Surveillance video from that night shows Strain stumbling outside as he wandered around Nashville.
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According to the autopsy report, there was no foul play. Strain's blood alcohol content was .228, nearly three times the legal driving limit. The report said the cannabis compound Delta-9 THC was also found in his system.
No Rohypnol or other central nervous system depressants commonly used for "knock out" or intentional foul play were found, according to the toxicology report, as investigators at the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department ruled Strain's death "as accidental."
"The MNPD's investigation found that Strain consumed multiple alcoholic drinks at different establishments after arriving in Nashville with friends on March 8. The investigation found that he had become separated from his friends and was noticeably impaired as he walked onto Gay Street adjacent to the Cumberland River," the police department said in a statement released Tuesday.
According to detectives, Strain "did not realize the terrain conditions in the darkness as he stepped toward the overgrown area and fell down the steep embankment into the river."
"Due to recent rain, the river was very high that night with a swift current," the department said before adding, "[t]he MNPD continues to extend its heartfelt condolences to Riley Strain's family and friends."
