Search for Missouri student Riley Strain: Nashville smoke shop worker says he spotted 22-year-old stumbling past his store

An empoyee from a Nashville smoke shop said he spotted Riley Strain stumbling past his store on the night he went missing, before breaking down in tears while telling the news to the student's mom.

New surveillance footage taken from the shop has also revealed more clues into the disappearance of Strain, 22, after he was kicked out of a Nashville bar and separated from his friends last Friday.

Employees of a local business said they saw the Missouri college student as he stumbled past their shopfront before he vanished - capturing the moment on their CCTV.

Footage shows seemingly intoxicated Strain wandering up 3rd Avenue North, turning onto Church Street, and then Gay Street. 

Speaking to WSMV4, Michael Halim, an employee of Downtown Smoke Shop said: 'I feel so bad.

'I see this situation like three or four times a day, too many people fall on the floor because of drinking'.

Footage captured from Downtown Smoke Shop shows still-missing college student Riley Strain stumbling past before he disappeared

Employees at the store revealed they saw Strain pass the shopfront but 'didn't think to call for help' as they see intoxicated people walk past 'three or four times a day'

Strain, 22, was last seen on Friday night at Luke Bryan's Nashville bar, Luke's 32 Bridge, on Broadway, wearing a two-toned black and brown shirt and blue jeans

Due to how often he see's intoxicated customers pass the store late at night, Halim said he didn't think to call for help.

'After two days his mother was here, she asked me, she was crying and asked me about him if I had seen him and I told her I saw him outside walking that way, but I didn't see him after that,' he said.

That was the moment Halim's heart sank as he realised something terrible had happened.

He recalled Strain's mother, Michelle Whiteid, crying to him as she desperately tried to seek information about her son's disappearance. And after she left, he revealed he began crying for her.

'If you have kids, you'll feel what she feels right now, his mom,' Halim said. 

Strain was kicked out of country singer Luke Bryan's Nashville bar, Luke's 32 Bridge Food + Drink, at around 9:40pm on March 8 for undisclosed reasons.

Surveillance video from 9:44pm shows what appears to be Riley walking along 3rd Avenue North. 

Then minutes later, the smoke shop camera catches him stumbling past in front of the store.

Halim's coworker Ramaz Saed also said he saw Strain from the window as he made his way down Church Street.

A Metro Nashville police camera also caught the moment Strain wobbled across a closed road at the end of Church Street, and then turn onto Gay Street before disappearing from the frame.

Moments later, a Life360 tracker pinged his last known location here, at the corner of James Robertson Parkway and First Avenue North.

Surveillance footage released by the Nashville police show Riley Strain wobbling and appearing confused as he crossed a closed road after being kicked out of Luke's 32 Bridge bar

Video from Downtown Smoke & Vape Shop on Church Street showed Strain near the intersection of 2nd Avenue and Church

Surveillance footage shows missing University of Missouri student Riley Strain falling as he walked the streets of Nashville

Strain had been visiting Nashville on for a fraternity conference when he was separated from his group after being booted out of Luke's 32 Bridge bar.

He reportedly told his Delta Chi fraternity brothers he would meet them back at their hotel, but was nowhere to be seen when the group returned from their night out. 

His friends tried contacting him, but received no response and at 1:40pm on Saturday, they reported Strain as missing as they failed to locate him via his Snapchat location.

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department and the Office of Emergency Management have been frantically searching the streets, as well as the Cumberland riverbank nearby amid fears he may have fallen into the water.

Police also applied for a warrant to access his phone and Apple Watch data, hoping it would pinpoint his location or at least trace more of his movements.

A private investigation firm hired by Strain's parents is also searching for him.  

A friend of Strain, Chris Dingman, reportedly found out that his missing pal had been spotted by a group of homeless individuals on the night of his disappearance.

'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,' Mr Dingman told WSMV4.

'This now makes two people that have done confirmation. These are areas that the camera had stops. We don't have any footage. 

'Basically, the areas where his phone quit pinging. We now do have visual confirmation from two homeless camps that Riley was in that area,' he added.

The student had reportedly FaceTimed his mom earlier in the evening, and she said nothing seemed out of the ordinary, even though she knew he was bar hopping.

His mother Michelle Whiteid said he's 'a great kid' and normally 'very communicative'.

'We miss him and we want him back so bad,' she told WKRN.

'He's always texting me, calling me, FaceTiming me,' she added. 'He's always in touch with me. He's very communicative.'

It comes as Luke's 32 Bridge is currently being investigated over claims Strain was overserved alcohol before he was kicked out.

The Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) said that while there are no specific rules that govern escorting out drunk customers from their businesses or providing any assistance in getting someone home, state law prohibits serving alcohol to people who are visibly intoxicated.

'A violation is a class A misdemeanor. The TABC has opened an investigation into this matter to see if any violations have occurred,' they added.

Luke's 32 Bridge is now being investigated over claims the missing student was overserved alcohol the night he went missing. State law prohibits serving alcohol to people who are visibly intoxicated.

Country singer Luke Bryan took to Instagram to share his prayers for Strain's 'safe return'

In an appeal for information about Riley's whereabouts, Nashville Metro PD described him as '6'6', 165 lbs. with blonde hair and brown eyes.'

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 615-862-8600.