Stepfather of Riley Strain Faces Challenges During Search for Missing Child
Riley Strain‘s stepfather is requesting empathy.
After nearly two weeks since the University of Missouri student disappeared during a fraternity trip to Nashville, Chris Whiteid says his family is beginning to have challenging discussions.
“Everyone knows it, everyone is thinking it,” he shared with ABC News on March 20. “These conversations are starting to take place. It’s not what we desire. And I acknowledge that people want to know how we’re feeling—we’re feeling frustrated, hurt, and depressed.”
Chris, who is the stepfather of Riley along with his wife Michelle Whiteid, hopes the public will comprehend his family’s anguish.
“Try to put yourself in our position,” he emphasized. “Your family member, your sibling—they have been missing for almost two weeks. Nobody knows what happened to Riley.”
Riley, aged 22, was last sighted on March 8 during a Nashville bar night out with his Delta Chi fraternity brothers, which included stops at Luke Bryan‘s bar, Luke 32 Food + Drink, as well as Casa Rosa and Garth Brooks‘ Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky Tonk. According to Nashville Metro police, he was asked to leave Luke 32 around 9:30 p.m. that evening and informed his friends he would walk back to their hotel.