‘There’s Something Going on in That Town’: Riley Strain’s Mother Believes Her Son’s Drink Was Spiked Before He Disappeared From Nashville Bar

News Nation shared an exclusive interview on Tuesday with the family of the 22-year-old college student Riley Strain, who disappeared after a night of bar crawling in Nashville with his fraternity brothers. When Strain's body was found nearly two weeks after his disappearance in the Cumberland River. When he was found, his pants and wallet were missing, which Crime Online reported was considered "not unusual" given the circumstances. Strain's mother, Michelle Whiteid, divulged that in some of her son's last text messages, he complained about a strange taste in his Rum and Coke.

"He sent me a text and said that he was drinking a rum and coke and that it didn't taste good," Whiteid said.

After her son texted her that, she told him not to drink it. He continued to describe the strange taste of the beverage, saying it tasted like "barbecue."

"Maybe there was something in it that shouldn't have been," she said.

Medical News Today reports that most drugs when dissolved in drinks are "colorless, odorless and tasteless," however some may taste "slightly bitter" or "salty," according to the outlet. Brian Entin of News Nation expressed that though the majority of drugging stories involve women at bars, men, too, are vulnerable when they go out.

"From the stories that we've been told from Uber drivers and just different individuals that reached out to us it either happened to a family member, or happened to them in Nashville," Riley Strain's stepfather, Chris Whiteid, said in the interview.

During the interview, the Whiteids implied that their son may have been drugged. Anecdotally, the family claimed they heard many stories of people being drugged in Nashville and that Riley's case might just be one part of a larger problem.

"There's something going on in that town," Michelle Whiteid said.

Crime Online reported that police are still waiting on the toxicology reports from Strain's autopsy. During the interview, the family shared that from Strain's bank statements, records showed he visited Miranda Lambert's Bar, Garth Brook's Bar and Kid Rock's Bar before his final stop at Luke's 32 Bridge. After he was escorted out of Luke's 32 Bridge for what Crime Online reported as "an unnamed violation of [Luke's] behavior policies," one of Strain's fraternity brothers accompanied him down the stairs. Riley purportedly told the individual he was going to go back to his hotel room, and the friend then returned to party with the rest of the fraternity. That was the last time Riley Strain was seen alive by anyone who knew him. Strain's fraternity brothers reported the 22-year-old University of Missouri student missing to the police, and the extensive search began . Luke Bryan's bar faced backlash and a slew of over-serving rumors as the high-profile case drew increased media attention.

Incidents of Drugging in Nashville — A Problem?

In November, News Channel 9 reported that Nashville allegedly has a "roofie problem."A singer named Crystal Rose shared an experience in which she was drugged after a man attempted to buy her a drink.

"I remember I took the drink, we talked for just a second, we walked back over to my friend, and they said that I just collapsed," she shared with the local news channel. "I was talking weird, and I just completely collapsed. That was the scariest part because I lost my memory. I kept asking my best friend was it something I did? Was it my fault? And they were like you took one drink."

Nashville does have a "Safe Bar" program, which according to the local news site focuses on "bystander intervention training," of staff members so if bartenders believe an individual has been drugged and is being sexually harassed, they can step in and help. Though the intention of the program is admirable, there appear to be a variety of different reasons behind why individuals who go to bars get drugged — and not all of them involve sexual assault. Despite the local hospitality community's efforts, it appears these terrifying incidents keep happening at an alarming rate. A Reddit post from December requested individuals on the platform share their stories of being drugged at downtown Nashville "honky tonks," and 349 users commented, with some sharing stories.

"Had a friend of a friend get drugged downtown last year. Someone drugged his drink, took him to a hotel room, and used his Face ID to drain his bank accounts," one comment read.

Another individual who was the designated driver of a group that went out drinking shared that they were drugged on Broadway. They claimed they "still have a bump on [their] head from where they fell and cracked their skull." The top-voted comment read the following:

"It's a big problem. Both for the fact that it is a common occurrence and that area hospitals don't test for drugging so you can't even file a complaint with police. Can't have data that casts a shadow on our tourism, can we?"

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