Riley Strain’s Mother Slams Fraternity Brothers for Behavior After His Disappearance

Riley Strain's mother just opened up about how she found out her son had gone missing in Nashville.

Michelle Whiteid also talked about what her son's fraternity brothers were doing as she and Riley's family searched for him. It's not a good look.

• Strain went missing in Nashville on March 8. His body was found in the Cumberland River on March 22.
• Police say initial autopsy results showed no signs of foul play, but as the days have passed, the family has started to wonder.
• The 22-year-old was in Nashville for a Delta Chi formal.

During a lengthy interview with NewsNation's Brian Entin, Whiteid and her husband (Strain's stepfather) Chris and Strain's dad Ryan Gilbert were candid about the questions they still have. Among the surprising new details is that his fraternity brothers waited more than 12 hours before going to police.

Related: Was Riley Strain Drugged?

"Why wouldn't they have called the police at 3:30 in the morning and didn't see him then?" she asks.

Michelle Strain says she was at home, preparing to go grocery shopping on March 9 when one of the fraternity brothers called and asked if she'd heard from her son.

The family was in Nashville hours later searching for their son. They did not get assistance from his friends.

Chris Whiteid says he thought the group was finally going to the police after noon, more than 14 hours after Riley's cell phone quit pinging. This contradicts earlier reports that a friend reported him missing after 1:30AM.

There are two more alarming details about the fraternity brothers' behavior. First is that they still went to that night's formal.

"We spent the next four, four-and-a-half hours searching every emergency room to see if he was in the hospital," Chris Whiteid says. "We come back and they're coming back, some of them from the party as we're sitting in the truck. How's that make you feel?"

So far, the family has been slow to judge the fraternity friends, but they say they've had virtually no contact with any of the members since, even after publicly pleading for them to reach out.

After admitting she feels like the frat brothers have information they're not sharing, Michelle Whiteid drops a second stunning detail. Delta Chi held a memorial last week, but didn't invite the family until three hours prior.

It's a three-hour drive from their home to the University of Missouri, the family says.

It's likely to be another two to eight weeks before the final autopsy shows if any drugs or alcohol were in Riley Strain's system. A clip of the NewsNation interview shared previously shows Michelle Whiteid wondering if her son's drink was spiked, because he'd texted her to say his rum and Coke tasted like barbecue.

The full interview clarifies that he didn't order that drink at Luke's 32 Bridge. Strain and his friends hit at least four bars that night.