NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — New details on how Riley Strain died.
Metro police have released the 911 call from the barge worker who found the 22-year-old's body in the Cumberland River. This comes as authorities are still investigating the cause of the young man's death.
Strain's body was found in the river, and the assumption is it was a drowning, but we won't know for sure until the autopsy is completed at the Medical Examiner's office.
The autopsy comes after a river worker spotted Riley's body in the Cumberland River two weeks after he disappeared in downtown Nashville.
"My company works on the river and I just found a dead body and I believe it to be Riley," the worker told 911.
This was about eight miles downriver from where Strain was last seen alive.
"It's a person here with a black shirt, white and muddy on the front, face down in the water. I actually had to move a log off the head to confirm it was a body," the person continued.
So, how and why did Strain end up in the river?
The preliminary autopsy report confirms what Metro police chief John Drake said — that there is no evidence of foul play — and it appears to be a horrible accident.
We don't yet know if water was found in Strain's lungs.
Some suggest if no water is found, Strain was dead before he went into the river. But the Medical Examiner tells me that this is not definitive — a person struggling to breathe underwater can have a throat spasm that shuts off their airway. When this happens, no water goes into your lungs and it's known as dry drowning.
But that's only part of the investigation.
They also will be testing Strain's blood.
Security video showed him stumbling the night he disappeared.
Metro police viewed video from bars Strain visited and say there's no evidence he was drugged.
But, toxicology testing will be done to check his blood alcohol level and to see if there is the presence of any other drugs.
So, what we know is no criminal investigation into Strain's death, but could change depending on the final autopsy report.
The final autopsy with toxicology results is expected sometime next month.
Who is Riley Strain and when was he last seen?
Riley Strain, 22, is a University of Missouri senior who disappeared after a night out with friends in Downtown Nashville on March 8.
He went missing after he was kicked out of Luke Bryan's bar on Lower Broadway.
Surveillance video and body-cam footage was released detailing the night, as well as a statement from Luke Bryan's bar, claiming they only ever sold him one alcoholic beverage and two waters.
RELATED: Luke Bryan's bar claims they only served Riley Strain one drink
Here's a timeline of events that led up to his disappearance.
What evidence was found?
On March 17, Metro Police said Riley's bank card was found in the Cumberland River embankment along Gay Street by those who had been searching for Riley themselves.
Riley's body was found in the Cumberland River in the Nations area 14 days after he went missing. We've created a map diagram to show the distance from where Riley went missing to where he was located.
