Student Riley Strain walked out of pub and simply vanished

A university student who disappeared after being kicked out of a bar on a night out with a group of friends hasn’t been seen for days.

The search for missing uni student Riley Strain, who vanished after being kicked out of a pub, has intensified as his case grips the United States.

New sightings of the student have emerged from the night he was last seen as investigators look into whether he was over-served alcohol at country star Luke Bryan’s bar.

Mr Strain, a 22-year-old senior at the University of Missouri, vanished after being asked to leave Luke’s 32 Bridge in Nashville, United States on March 8.

Missing person Riley Strain, 22, was last seen on Friday March 8. Picture: Supplied

After Mr Strain left the bar alone, his fraternity brothers called him and he told them he was going to head back to his hotel. But they never saw Strain again, The US Sun reports.

Surveillance video from several businesses in the area showed him stumbling around downtown near the Cumberland River, seemingly lost.

The student was last spotted on camera near the river while crossing First Avenue North at Gay Street at around 9.47pm, per footage released by police and obtained by local NBC affiliate WSMV.

Riley Strain, 22, vanished after he was kicked out of a pub in Nashville. Picture: Supplied

His phone was last tracked near Public Square Park along the river.

But family members have said that Mr Strain was spotted after leaving the bar.

“I was talking to family members currently in downtown Nashville searching, and we have found another homeless person that had acknowledged that Riley had been in that area,” family friend Chris Dingman said on News Nation.

Mr Dingman said that one person at a homeless camp recognised the missing student from a picture but couldn’t recall where he went.

“These are areas that the camera had [gaps]. We don’t have any footage,” Mr Dingman said.

“Basically, the areas where his phone quit pinging, we now do have visual confirmation from two homeless camps that Riley was in that area.”

Both homeless camps are located near the Cumberland River, which is near where Mr Strain’s phone last pinged.

“The sad part of this situation is, every day we get new leads and go down different avenues,” Mr Dingman said.

“We’re going to get there, but it also opens up more doors on what could’ve possibly happened.”

Police released surveillance video of him stumbling around. Picture: Supplied

Bar investigated

It emerged on Thursday that a state agency is now investigating Bryan’s Nashville bar, Luke’s 32 Bridge Food + Drink.

“We are investigating whether Mr Strain was served alcohol while he was visibly intoxicated,” Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission communications director Aaron Rummage told NBC News.

Tennessee doesn’t have rules on escorting an intoxicated person out of a bar.

However, state law does forbid “serving alcoholic beverages to someone who is visibly intoxicated.”

Mr Rummage said that if a violation was confirmed, it would be a class A misdemeanour.

TC Restaurant Group, owner and operator of the bar, previously confirmed that it was co-operating with police and providing security footage as the investigation continued.

Country icon Bryan shared a statement on his Instagram Story earlier in the week acknowledging the situation.

“Y’all this is scary. Praying for his safe return,” the singer wrote.

‘No foul play’

Nashville police shared an update on Thursday, saying that the department had received dozens of tips in the case.

“A lot of it now, at this point, is just filtering all of the information,” Sergeant Bob Nielsen said on Thursday afternoon.

“We’ve been getting just dozens of Crime Stoppers tips every day, pretty much since this started.

“It takes time to go through all of those, scrutinise that information, make certain that there could be a viable lead.

“A lot of them, as you can imagine, is just frivolous information.”

Sgt Nielsen also addressed concerns over the possibility of Strain’s disappearance being criminal in nature.

“There is absolutely no indication whatsoever of foul play or anybody else involved,” Nielsen said.

He went on to say that Mr Strain’s disappearance is being investigated strictly as a missing persons case.

Boats, helicopters, drones, and search teams were out looking for Mr Strain near the Cumberland River this week but have found nothing so far.

Investigators are waiting for Mr Strain’s mobile phone and Apple Watch data that might further assist in the case.

“Right now, we have no idea what happened with this gentleman,” Nielsen said.

“All of our resources are dedicated to finding him.”

The Nashville police department confirmed to The US Sun that there have been no additional updates since the press conference.

Mr Dingman hopes the increased involvement in the investigation will help bring forth answers.

“Authorities are now doing an investigation into the bar,” Mr Dingman told CBS affiliate KOLR.

“What that means to me is, all alcohol - beer, liquor, and wine - is all federally regulated.

“So when they got brought into this, that now means we will have even more resources than we currently have with Metropolitan Police.”

This story was published by The US Sun and was reproduced with permission