Luke Bryan 'Praying for Safe Return' of Missing Man Last Seen at His Bar in Nashville

Riley Strain, 22, was last seen on Friday night according to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department

LUKE BRYAN; Riley Strain
Luke Bryan; Riley Strain. Photo:

Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty Images; Metro Nashville PD/X

Luke Bryan is hoping a missing man comes home safe.

After Riley Strain was last seen by friends Friday night at Luke's 32 Bridge Food + Drink — the country star's restaurant and bar — Bryan, 47, shared his hopes for the 22-year-old student to be found on his Instagram Stories on Tuesday.

The first Story, which tagged his bar, said: "TC Restaurant Group, operator, and owner of Luke's 32 Bridge is continuing to work closely with the Metro Nashville Police Department to provide security camera footage and any other potentially helpful information to aid in the search for Riley Strain. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones for his safe return."

"Y'ALL THIS IS SCARY. PRAYING FOR HIS SAFE RETURN." he captioned the post.

Luke Bryan Praying for Safe Return of Man Who Went Missing at His Nashville Bar
Luke Bryan's Instagram Story.

Luke Bryan/Instagram

In the second Instagram Story, he posted a tweet featuring a description of the missing man, which he captioned: "IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION THAT COULD HELP. PLEASE REACH OUT TO THE NUMBER ABOVE."

Luke Bryan Praying for Safe Return of Man Who Went Missing at His Nashville Bar
Luke Bryan's Instagram Story.

Metro Nashville PD/X/Luke Bryan/Instagram

Strain, a Delta Chi fraternity member, who attends the University of Missouri, went missing on March 8 after he had traveled to Tennessee with the group for their annual spring formal, per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

According to the Post-Dispatch, FOX affiliate WZTV and NBC affiliate WSMV-TV, friends said they last saw him around 10 p.m. local time after he was kicked out of Bryan's restaurant and bar.

Christopher Whiteid, Strain's stepfather, said he contacted his fraternity brothers after leaving the bar and said he was heading back to their hotel, the Post-Dispatch reported.

But Strain's friends were unable to find his location using Snapchat and phone calls to him went to voicemail, per WZTV and NBC affiliate WSMV-TV.

Strain was reported missing by a fraternity brother on Saturday, and told authorities about his attempts to contact his friend, per the Post-Dispatch.

The missing student's family says the last cellphone location was less than a mile from the bar between Gay Street and James Robertson Parkway, reported ABC affiliate WKRN-TV.

Police have attempted to ping Strain’s phone and have checked in with local hospitals and jails with no luck, per WZTV and WSMV-TV. 

According to surveillance footage, Strain may have taken a wrong turn when returning to the hotel, Whiteid said, per the Post Dispatch.

Michelle Whiteid, Strain’s mother, described her son as “a great kid,” WKRN-TV reported. “We miss him and we want him back so bad,” she told the station.

She also told the outlet that she’s regularly in contact with her son, but has not heard from Strain since her call with him hours before his disappearance. 

“He’s always texting me, calling me, FaceTiming me,” Michelle said. “He’s always in touch with me. He’s very communicative.”

University of Missouri officials released a statement on Monday saying they've been "in touch with the family and authorities in Nashville who are working to find Strain."

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“The safety of our community is our highest priority,” said Angela King Taylor, interim vice chancellor for Student Affairs. “Our thoughts are with Riley’s family as the search continues. We will be offering any support to them that we can, and we encourage anyone who needs help to reach out to our counseling resources.” 

According to the MNPD, Strain is 6-foot-5 “with a thin build, blue eyes and light brown hair.” 

Police said he was last seen wearing a black/brown button-up shirt with a black chest pocket, blue jeans, brown boots and a black Apple watch.

Anyone with information about his disappearance has been asked to call police at 615-862-8600.

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