American Idol judge Luke Bryan is reportedly terrified his image will forever be tarnished after a college student was kicked out of his Nashville bar, and later found dead, Radar reports.
University of Missouri student Riley Strain, 22, went missing while on a spring break trip to the Music City. He was last seen by his friends at Luke’s 32 Bridge Bar.
The 22-year-old student was last spotted on March 8 surveillance camera footage stumbling down a Nashville street after a night out with his friends.
“Y’all this is scary,” the Drunk on You singer, 47, posted at the time a massive search effort was underway. “Praying for his safe return.”
The 22-year-old student was last spotted on March 8 surveillance camera footage stumbling down a Nashville street after a night out with his friends.
“Y’all this is scary,” the Drunk on You singer, Luke Bryan 47, posted at the time a massive search effort was underway. “Praying for his safe return.”
Luke Bryan “sees how this could all blow back on him,” an insider dished to the National Enquirer. “It was at his bar where the poor kid got tossed into the street.”
“It doesn’t reflect well on him!”
Riley’s body was recovered from the Cumberland River in West Nashville weeks after he went missing on March 22.
“The body of Riley Strain was recovered from the Cumberland River in West Nashville this morning, approximately 8 miles from downtown,” the Metro Nashville Police Department wrote in an X post.
The Metro Nashville PD said there were no signs of foul play. While an autopsy revealed there were no signs of water in Riley’s lungs, investigators said he drowned.
Riley was found wearing only a shirt and watch. His pants, cowboy boots, belt and wallet were all missing. A family friend said the missing items “raises more questions” about his death.
“Everybody we’ve talked to about that as soon as we found out he had a belt on that night was like, ‘Wow, that totally changes the dynamics of why those articles are missing,” family friend Chris Dingman told NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas Reports.
“Riley had a swimmer’s body,” the family friend noted. “With the belt being on his hips, that would have been even more hard for the pants to come off in the water. It literally would have been snug to him, it would have been riding on his hips.”
“The belt is a big piece of the puzzle that we now have and once again raises more questions.”
Dingman added, “It’s very brutal on the family right now. We’re at the stage where we want answers. We’re blessed to bring Riley home, but now, we want answers.”