It's a sad day for the family of Riley Strain. Authorities confirmed they found the body of the missing 22-year-old in the Cumberland River. While the family is privately grieving, several supporters sent them their thoughts and prayers.
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On a Facebook page devoted to the missing University of Missouri student, several people shared their grief and expressed sympathy for the family. One person mentioned getting a law passed to prevent something similar from happening in the future. Strain went missing after Luke Bryan's 32 Bridge Bar asked him to leave due to his level of intoxication. Rather than returning to the hotel, Strain ended up going in the opposite direction towards the river.
Someone wrote, "Bars should be required to call or help arrange a car for people they deem too intoxicated to be inside the premises. This is so tragic and avoidable. 22 with his entire life ahead of him. My heart goes out to his family and friends."
Supporters Offer Up Their Prayers for Riley Strain's Family
One person offered up this prayer, "May your last breath on earth been followed by your first breath in heaven with Gods loving arms wrapped around you. You captured all of our hearts sweets Riley. We pray for you family and friends, may they laugh about the good memories and cry only because they miss you so much. You are a well. Loved young man by so many and have touched all of us."
Another wished they could reach out to the family, writing, "Wish I could give his mom a hug. Not the outcome you want but glad they have closure and can start the grieving process. Praying for them during this difficult time." Yet another expressed similar sympathies, writing, "I am so very sorry for your loss. I wish I could give his mom a hug. Sending so many prayers to all his family, friends, volunteers and everyone that has invested their time into helping bring Riley home. Rest in peace sweet Riley."
It's not the outcome that Strain's family wanted. In a prior press conference, Strain's stepfather said the family was preparing for the worse. They realized that too much time had passed for a favorable outcome, but they still hoped for the best.
"Put yourself in our shoes. Your family, your brother, your sister — they've been missing for almost two weeks. Everybody knows it, everybody's thinking it — those conversations are starting to happen," he said. "It's not what we want. And I understand that people want to know what we're feeling — we're feeling frustrated, we're feeling hurt, we're feeling depressed."
