23-03-2025
Family of Mizzou student Riley Strain sues Delta Chi Fraternity for wrongful death
The family of Riley Strain, a former University of Missouri student who was found dead in Nashville last year, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Delta Chi Fraternity on Friday, court records show.
The lawsuit, filed in Boone County Circuit Court, claims negligence by the fraternity led to Strain's death and names the organization and individual members as defendants.
The plaintiffs seek damages related to Strain's death, including compensation for financial losses, including funeral expenses and emotional suffering.
Strain was a senior at Mizzou majoring in interdisciplinary studies and business. He went missing March 8, 2024, after being separated from fraternity friends during a night out, Nashville detectives said.
His body was recovered March 22 from the Cumberland River in West Nashville, about eight miles from downtown.
Strain's disappearance captured national attention.
The lawsuit filed this week alleges fraternity members failed to follow their own policies, which prohibit beverages with more than 15% alcohol by volume. The family claims Strain was pressured into attending a 'spring formal' event, and to consume large amounts of alcohol, the suit reads.
The plaintiff's attorney and representatives of the defendants did not immediately respond to The Star's requests for comment Saturday.
The lawsuit alleges that members of the fraternity served beer and high-proof vodka Jell-O shots on the bus to Nashville.
According to court documents, Strain was visibly intoxicated when the group arrived in Nashville. Several fraternity brothers allegedly noticed he was having difficulty speaking and walking.
'By the time the group reached the final bar of the night, Riley was virtually incoherent,' the lawsuit reads. 'He was leaning against walls to stay upright, stumbling up and down steps, was completely unable to speak or communicate, and needed help.'
The night he went missing, Strain was kicked out of Luke's 32 Bridge Bar at 301 Broadway, a downtown Nashville bar owned by country star Luke Bryan, according to Metro Nashville Police.
A bouncer reportedly did not allow Strain to stand outside the bar to wait for friends to close their tabs. A friend confirmed to The Star that Strain was taken out a side door and was gone when his friends paid and walked out.
The lawsuit claims fraternity brothers abandoned Strain when he became highly intoxicated and unable to care for himself. Strain's fraternity brothers failed to report him missing in a timely manner, the suit alleges.
A friend said they told police they lost sight of Strain after he was kicked out of the bar. Nashville police said they tried using Snapchat to find his location, but were unsuccessful. Strain's friends tried calling him multiple times the next day, but the calls kept going to voicemail.
A friend called police around 1:45 p.m. the next day from outside the Nashville Central Police Precinct to file a missing persons report, saying they were in town for a fraternity formal when Strain disappeared.
A massive search for Strain ensued, and his body was eventually recovered from the river.
According to a medical examiner, Strain died of accidental drowning and ethyl alcohol intoxication. The police department classified Strain's death as accidental.
Nashville detectives said their investigation showed that Strain consumed multiple alcoholic drinks on March 8 before becoming separated from his friends.
The lawsuit alleges Delta Chi failed to prevent behaviors and actions that resulted in the death of Strain. It also alleges the fraternity failed to properly train members and uphold its policies.
Strain's family is demanding a jury trial in the case, according to court records.
Previous reporting by Noelle Alviz-Gransee and Robert A. Cronkleton contributed to this report.
