COLUMBIA — The family of a University of Missouri student who was found dead after going missing on a trip with his fraternity has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against multiple parties, including the fraternity and 30 members of the fraternity.
Riley Strain was found dead in the Cumberland River in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 22, 2024, which was 14 days after he went missing. His death has been ruled an accidental drowning. Medical examiners found Strain's blood alcohol level was nearly three times the legal driving limit in Tennessee at the time of his death.
Strain was 22 and a senior at MU when he died.
Strain was on a trip with his fraternity, Delta Chi, for a formal when he died. He was last seen by his friends after he was kicked out of Luke's 32 Bridge, which is a bar in the center of Nashville's downtown entertainment district.
Strain was kicked out at 9:35 p.m. on March 8, 2024, which was a Friday night, and he was seen on security footage afterward stumbling along the sidewalk. One of Strain's friends called 911 around 1:45 p.m. the next day to file a missing persons report.
A lawsuit filed in Boone County Friday on behalf of plaintiffs Michelle Whiteid, Christopher Whiteid, Robert Ryan Gilbert and Melissa Gilbert accuses Delta Chi, the property owner of the Delta Chi fraternity house at MU, 30 members of the fraternity and two member of the Board of Chapter Advisors of negligence that led to Strain's death.
The lawsuit argues that Delta Chi should have stopped the out-of-state formal from happening, claiming the fraternity had a duty of care. The lawsuit alleges Delta Chi was negligent, careless or reckless and instilled a "code" into fraternity members that encouraged or taught them to "abandon one another instead of helping one another."
The formal was not an event affiliated with MU, a university spokesperson told KOMU 8 in March 2024. The spokesperson said events like the formal are private events that the fraternity chapter holds on its own, though it could have to abide by regulations from its national fraternity.
The property owner of the Delta Chi fraternity house at MU is named in the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges the property owner had a duty to ensure its property was not being used for unsafe or dangerous purposes.
Thirty members of the Delta Chi fraternity are named in the lawsuit, including the chapter president and leadership at the time, as well as members on the trip who weren't in officer positions.
The lawsuit alleges that the fraternity officers and members were negligent, careless or reckless. The lawsuit alleges the members planned a formal that would be fueled by alcohol, pressured Strain into going to the formal, encouraged Strain to consume alcoholic beverages throughout the day he went missing, allowed him to continue drinking after noticing he was intoxicated, and did not help Strain back to the hotel, arrange a ride for him when he was kicked out of the bar, or call emergency services that night to report him missing.
The lawsuit names two members of the Board of Chapter Advisors, who are named as Jane Doe and John Doe, and alleges they were negligent by allowing the fraternity members to host the formal and failing to provide supervision and transportation for fraternity members at the formal.
Reports have found no evidence Strain was overserved alcohol in Nashville.
Delta Chi has not responded to KOMU 8's request for comment. KOMU 8 has reached out to both of the plaintiffs' attorneys. The office of Springfield attorney Jacob Lewis said it could not comment on the lawsuit.