The mom of Riley Strain, the 22-year-old University of Missouri senior who went missing on March 8, has shared the last conversation she had with her son before he disappeared. On the night that Riley went missing, he went out in Nashville with his Delta Chi fraternity brothers.
His mom, Michelle Whiteid, 52, had a migraine but continued to communicate with her son even though she wasn't feeling well, reported People. He texted her a picture of a shirt that he borrowed and wrote, “Doesn’t this look so Nashville?”
She spoke to People about how she responded to the text. "I’m like, ‘Have so much fun,’" she told the outlet. Her son continued to update her while he was out with his fraternity brothers.
While he was at Miranda Lambert’s Bar, he sent his mom a photo. He FaceTimed her while at another bar, she told People.
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“We FaceTimed for a while, he wanted me to see around, and he was so excited,” she said.
When he called his mom, she was lying down, but didn't want her son to know about her migraine, so she explained that she was watching something.
The mom told People that her son and his friends gave her "a hard time, saying, 'It’s 7:30, what are you doing in bed already? Come on, Mom, get up!'"
But after they finished talking, Riley still texted his mom.
"He texted me and he was like, 'It was kind of hard to hear you, but I wanted you to see what was happening,'" Riley's mom told People.
The mom said she texted her son back, writing, "Well, you boys be safe. Make good choices. I love you guys."
The last text she received from him was: "I love you, too."
The search for Riley continues. Body cam footage and surveillance videos have provided some information and some witnesses have also shared information, but the family is still trying to piece everything together, reported NewsNation.
"Every time we get a little bit of evidence, there’s 100 more questions," Chris Dingman, a friend of Riley’s parents said, as per WZTV.
Two Nashville TikTokers found Riley's bank card next to Cumberland River in Nashville on Sunday, March 17. A couple has also said that they briefly interacted with Riley the night he went missing. The woman reportedly saw Riley and asked, "You’re not driving tonight?" and he responded with, "No ma’am," as per NewsNation. It's unclear if this happened before or after Riley was captured on bodycam footage.
His mom is still holding onto hope that Riley will be found safe. She told People that this is the longest she's ever gone without speaking to her son.
"He just always wants to make sure that his mama is OK, no matter what. He’s such a great kid," she said.
