The last known person to speak with Riley Strain the night the University of Missouri student vanished has given a statement to the police, in what the victim’s family touted as a “huge” development.
Chris Dingman, a friend acting as the Strain family’s spokesperson, said the new witness provided his account to the family before going to the cops.
“That was huge. That was something we were looking for,” Dingman said Tuesday on NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports.” “He told the detective his account of the story of what happened to Riley.”
Dingman did not name the witness or reveal what exactly he said about Strain in connection with his disappearance and death.
The 22-year-old’s body was pulled from the Cumberland River on March 22, two weeks after he was booted from country star Luke Bryan’s Nashville bar and left to wander alone in the streets at night.
Strain was found wearing his shirt but no pants. His cowboy boots, belt and wallet were also missing and have yet to be recovered.
Asked if the Strain family was searching for new evidence because they believe Riley did not just fall into the river and drown, Dingman said: “Correct. One hundred percent.”
A preliminary autopsy report indicated that Strain died of “accidental” causes.
His family later ordered a second, private autopsy, after it was determined that the 22-year-old had no water in his lungs, as is typical in drowning cases.
Dingman said the family was also looking to obtain additional surveillance footage from a jail located near where Strain was last seen. So far, video from only one camera has been made public, but there are others.
“We would love to see the footage,” Dingman said. “We now do have confirmation that there were cameras pointing back toward the bridge where Riley went missing at.”
