Riley Strain's heartbroken mom breaks her silence after teen was found dead in river eight miles from where he vanished in Nashville

Riley Strain's heartbroken mother has broken her silence in a press conference just hours after her 22-year-old son was found dead in a river eight miles from where he vanished in Nashville.

In a statement, police in Nashville confirmed that a body pulled from the Cumberland River this morning was that of the missing 22-year-old.  

Authorities said that no foul play-related trauma was observed on Strain, who was last seen on March 8 after being kicked out of Luke's 32 Bridge Food + Drink.

Michelle Whiteid, Riley's mother, spoke through tears at a press conference on Friday evening. 

'I just ask that you mommas out there, hug your babies tight tonight please,' she said. 

Michelle Strain Whiteid, Riley Strain's heartbroken mother has broken her silence in a press conference just hours after her 22-year-old son was found dead in a river eight miles from where he vanished in Nashville

In a statement, police in Nashville confirmed that a body pulled from the Cumberland River this morning was that of the missing 22-year-old

She echoed the words of her husband Chris, Riley's stepfather, and the 22-year-old's father Ryan Gilbert how much they appreciated the support from across the country.

'Please, for me, just hug your babies tight tonight. And again, thank you. Thank you for sharing our story.' 

Despite the family's criticism previously, Gilbert thanked the Metro Nashville Police Department for their efforts, as well as the volunteer United Cajun Navy. 

'It's just unbelievable what they've done for us,' Gilbert said. 

Stepfather Chris thanked the entire Nashville community for their help in trying to find RIley.

'It's been an emotional roller-coaster. We're quite thankful for everything that you've done for our family. The grace that you've given us, it means a lot, more than you'll ever know.' 

He was grateful to the city, which will be holding a candelight vigil on Gay Street, where Riley was last seen, Friday night. 

'To the people of Nashville, I can't thank you enough for the support, the love, the encouragement that you've shown myself and my wife,' Chris said. 

Despite the family's criticism previously, Gilbert thanked the Metro Nashville Police Department for their efforts, as well as the volunteer United Cajun Navy

Stepfather Chris thanked the entire Nashville community for their help in trying to find RIley

'You don't understand how much that meant to us in some of our darkest hours.'

The Delta Chi fraternity member was in Tennessee on a trip for their annual spring formal when he was kicked out of the bar just after 9:30 p.m.

Earlier this week, his bank card was found near the Cumberland River and rescue teams were also seen scouring a dam miles from where he was last spotted.

Strain had told his friends that 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 they reported Strain as missing as they failed to locate him via his Snapchat location.

At a press conference on Friday morning, Chief John Drake told reporters: 'This morning around 7:28 am we received a call from a worker.

'As they were removing an object from the river, they noticed what appeared to be Riley Strain pop up. 

'The medical examiners officer reviewed the body and confirmed that it is Riley Strain.

Authorities said that no foul play-related trauma was observed on Strain, who was last seen on March 8

'The family have been contacted, there are no signs of foul play at this time according to the examination here at the riverbank. 

'Mr. Strain still had the shirt on that he was wearing, still had the watch. I want to say to the family my heart and prayers go out to you all for this very unfortunate and tragic incident.'

Surveillance footage collected by police from Downtown Smoke & Vape Shop on Church Street showed Strain near the intersection of 2nd Avenue and Church Street. 

The seemingly intoxicated student was wearing a two-toned black and brown shirt and blue jeans and took a tumble, then quickly got back up and continued down the street.

Another camera caught near the intersection of Gay Street and 1st Avenue North just before 10pm taking large strides with his head down as he stumbled through the streets.

The student had reportedly FaceTimed his mom Michelle Whiteid that evening, and she said nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

His mom and stepfather Chris Whiteid have been in the city since the search began, with Chris telling reporters earlier this week that the family had started preparing for the worst. 

Whiteid said: 'Put yourself in our shoes. Everybody knows it. Everybody's thinking it. Those conversations are starting to happen. It's not what we want.

Michelle Strain Whiteid, left, and her husband, Chris Whiteid, speak to the media during a press conference earlier this week

Strain, 22, was last seen on March 8 at Luke's 32 Bridge Food + Drink on Broadway, according to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department 

Surveillance footage released by the Nashville police show him wobbling and appearing confused as he crossed a closed road near the water

'And I understand that people want to know what we're feeling. We’re feeling frustrated, we're feeling hurt, we’re feeling depressed. Nobody knows what happened to Riley.' 

His parents previously said cops butchered the investigation into his disappearance, as more clues seemed to have come from the public than officers. 

The parents' criticism of the cops comes after TikTokers found a crucial piece of evidence that investigators failed to discover over a week after Strain went missing. 

Anna Clemdening and Brandy Baenen, had been rummaging through trash along the riverbank when they located Strain's bank card.

'My stomach dropped,' Clendening said, describing the moment she turned over the card to reveal Strain's name. 'My innate reaction was to be like, 'Let's keep looking.'

Officers have since defended their search efforts. 'When we start a missing person investigation, we're looking for a person. We're not looking for small pieces of evidence,' Sgt. Robert Nielsen said during a press conference.

'Can we miss somethings? Sure. But our primary goal is to find Mr. Strain and bring him home safely.

Police previous shared footage on X showing Strain walking along the sidewalk past an officer, who appeared to be inspecting a car with a smashed window. 

Another camera caught near the intersection of Gay Street and 1st Avenue North just before 10 p.m. taking large strides with his head down 

Officers had been scouring the Cumberland River and a dam in the search for Strain

In a post to their social media on Friday morning, the United Cajun Navy ordered all personnel to 'clear all channels and stand down' shortly after news of a body being recovered broke

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) shared a video on Tuesday showing one of their helicopters flying over the Cheatham Dam. 

WTVF reported that officers had the dam shut down to inspect any debris that floated up to the surface, but did not find anything related to Strain. 

David Flagg, director of operations for the United Cajun Navy, told the outlet: 'Somehow, Riley may have fallen into the river and was swept away by the current. The current was very, very swift on the day that he disappeared.'

In a post to their social media on Friday morning, the United Cajun Navy ordered all personnel to 'clear all channels and stand down' shortly after news of a body being recovered broke.