Family of college student who died in Nashville files wrongful death lawsuit

The family of a University of Missouri student who died during a trip to Nashville has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against his former fraternity and pledge brothers nearly a year after his death. 

Riley Strain, 22, was found dead in the Cumberland River nearly two weeks after he disappeared from a night out in Nashville on March 8, 2024.

The lawsuit, filed by Strain’s family on March 21 in Boone County, Missouri, is against the University of Missouri chapter of the Delta Chi, as his family is working to hold his fraternity responsible for his death.

Strain’s family claims that his death was a “result of the carelessness and negligence” of the fraternity, according to the lawsuit first obtained by WZTV. 

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“After Riley was abandoned, but prior to his death, he experienced conscious pain and suffering,” the lawsuit reads. “As a direct and proximate result of defendants’ negligence, Riley suffered severe injuries, ultimately resulting in his death on March 22, 2024.”

The lawsuit added that Strain suffered “extreme physical and emotional damage, and pain and suffering prior to his death.”

Strain even initially declined to attend the fraternity’s annual formal trip to Nashville in 2024, according to the lawsuit, but decided to attend “after continued peer pressure from his fraternity brothers.”

The 36-page lawsuit lists 32 individuals, including Delta Chi chapter presidents, recruitment chairs, and numerous fraternity leaders and brothers.

Strain’s family argues that the Delta Chi fraternity and its members were negligent in taking proper precautions to ensure all fraternity members would be safe and failed to intervene when Strain was visibly impaired.

The filing goes on to accuse the fraternity of multiple negligent acts, including failing to have proper safety measures in place for the event, allowing excessive drinking on the charter buses that transported the fraternity to Nashville, despite fraternity policies that should have prohibited such conduct and the absence of chaperons or advisors, among other accusations.

According to the lawsuit, several fraternity members noticed Strain was displaying unusual behavior, noting he struggled to speak, walk and interact with others. 

Strain was described as “virtually incoherent” by the time the group reached the last bar of the night and was seen “leaning against walls to stay upright, stumbling up and down steps, and was completely unable to speak or communicate, and needed help,” according to the lawsuit. 

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“When a bar kicked Riley out, Riley’s fraternity brothers had two options: 1) go with Riley, make sure he was safe, and take care of him; or 2) continue to party. Riley’s Delta Chi brothers chose to continue partying,” the lawsuit read. 

The lawsuit continued and stated that after Strain was kicked out of the bar, he was lost and without help and stumbled in the wrong direction towards the Cumberland River, a four-minute walk from the bar his fraternity brothers had seen him last at.

“Rather than having the support of his brothers, Riley was abandoned and alone,” the complaint stated.

The lawsuit continued and claims that Strain’s roommates saw “that Riley was not in the room and did nothing.”

“There was no search, no panic, and no one called 911 to report that Riley had failed to make the twelve (12) minute walk back to the hotel in over three hours. The fraternity brothers did not even think to call Riley’s parents, they simply got ready for bed and went to sleep,” the lawsuit read. 

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Strain’s family is seeking a jury trial as well as seeking damages for medical, funeral, and burial expenses, and compensation for his pain and suffering before his death.

Approximately two weeks after Strain disappeared, on March 22, a worker at a company based along the Cumberland River reported seeing a body to police, who were later able to confirm Strain’s identity.

A medical examiner determined that Strain’s blood alcohol level was .228 – more than twice the legal limit – when he died, and he also had Delta 9 in his system, per the toxicology report previously reviewed by Fox News Digital.

In addition to the high alcohol content, evidence of caffeine, nicotine and marijuana was found in Strain’s blood. 

Strain’s causes of death were listed as drowning and ethanol intoxication, and his manner of death was deemed accidental.

Fox News Digital’s Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.

Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to [email protected]