A man working as a private investigator on the Riley Strain case has turned over a nearly 300-page report to the Strain family detailing his findings.
Steve Fischer, an investigator based in California but licensed in Tennessee, said on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, that he turned over the report along with a 49-minute video presentation containing additional video surveillance.
Fischer did not got into detail about what his report found, but he also did not dispute officials’ findings that Strain’s death was an accident.
“As this is the family’s report, I cannot disclose my investigative determination or the report’s contents,” he said. “What the family chooses to do with the report, whether they agree with its contents, or if they publicly comment on the report or the case is entirely up to them. I have no control over these decisions.”
Efforts to reach Strain’s family were not immediately successful.
Strain, 22, went missing in Nashville on March 8 after he was kicked out of Luke’s 32 Bridge Food and Drink while out with fraternity brothers on Broadway.
Strain was seen on surveillance footage walking around the downtown area, sometimes stumbling.
He had a friendly exchange with a police officer near 1st Avenue North and Gay Street. His bank card was discovered near the Cumberland River on March 17, five days before his body was recovered about eight miles from where he was last seen.
According to Strain’s autopsy, completed by the Davidson County Medical Examiner’s Office and released last month, his death was ruled an accident.
There was evidence of fluid in Strain’s chest cavity, and medical conditions that occur when there is too much water in the lungs, but there was no mention of water present in his lungs at the time of the autopsy, according to the report.
His toxicology report also showed that his blood-alcohol level was nearly three times the legal limit. Strain also had nicotine and THC — specifically Delta-9, a legal form of THC in Tennessee — in his system, the report said.
An investigation by the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission showed Luke Bryan’s bar did not overserve Strain before he was kicked out for violating conduct standards. Strain and his fraternity brothers visited four bars on Broadway, the TABC report noted. Strain had at least seven alcoholic beverages before he stepped into Luke’s for the second time.
Fischer took on the case in April after talking with Strain’s family, he said on social media. About a month later, he was in Nashville walking the area and talking with witnesses, he said.
Fischer said there were over 100 hours of video footage tracking Strain throughout the evening until he’s last seen on an officer’s camera at 9:58 p.m.
“This includes rooftop surveillance in downtown Nashville, where Riley is seen along his route without encountering anyone. No person approaches him and no vehicles approach him,” he said. “At 9:58 PM, Riley is alone under the bridge.”
Fischer said his reports contained detailed interviews with dozens of witnesses and experts.
Some witness statements turned out to be inaccurate, Fischer said, as it was later proven a different person was spotted around a homeless encampment in the early morning hours after Strain went missing. That was backed up by video footage, Fischer said.
“With so much data already released, the family may decide not to read my report at this time,” he said. “It is a lot to rehash, and the accompanying video will undoubtedly be hard to watch. I have tried to be as thorough as possible to help provide them with some peace of mind.”
Fischer concluded his update saying he likely won’t comment further on the case.
“For now, I extend my sincere condolences to Riley’s family and friends,” he said. “I learned that Riley was a remarkable young man with many people who loved him. I wish I could take away their pain. I honor them with love and wish them peace.”
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Riley Strain: Private investigator traced student’s steps in Nashville
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