Riley Strain's parents believe someone 'helped him in to the water' and are still not convinced his death was drunk accident as they slam his frat brothers for continuing to party during frantic search for their son

Riley Strain's parents believe that someone helped the 22-year-old get into the water where he was found dead 14 days after vanishing as they slam his frat brothers for partying during the search. 

In a new interview, Strain's family told NewsNation's Brian Entin on Banfield that they are yet to see convincing evidence that Strain fell into the river where his body was discovered by accident. 

'If he truly fell in the water, and you can prove that to me, show me,' his stepfather, Chris Whiteid, said. 

'I'll accept it. But I can tell you from all the stuff that we've done as far as searching, looking, taking pictures - I don't feel like it's really possible to happen. He may have fallen. Somebody helped him in the water,' Whiteid said. 

The 22-year-old University of Missouri student's body was recovered on March 22 in the Cumberland River in Nashville - where he had been visiting with his fraternity brothers before disappearing. 

Riley, 22, had been partying in Nashville with his Delta Chi fraternity for their annual spring formal trip, before he was kicked out of a bar around 10pm. He was found 14 days later in the Cumberland River 

'If he truly fell in the water, and you can prove that to me, show me,' his stepfather, Chris Whiteid, said

Strain, 22, was found half-naked in the Cumberland River. Although an autopsy ruled out foul play, his family say they are not convinced 

 A preliminary autopsy found that his death was 'accidental' with no trauma to suggest foul play.

The medical examiner said there was no water in Strain's lungs - a detail which, along with the uphill terrain and lack of cuts and bruises, made it difficult for investigators to piece together his mysterious death. 

Strain's stepfather believes that if Strain had fallen into the water, he would have hit his head or had other injuries.  'No cuts or scrapes or anything serious like that,' Whiteid said.

Strain's family recently slammed members of his fraternity for continuing to party the night after he went missing, despite the frantic search party. 

'Why wouldn't they have called the police when they got back at 3:15 in the morning and didn't see him then?' she said to NewsNation, adding that the teens didn't go to the police until after midday the next day. 

Michelle Whiteid, Strain's mother, said she has been left confused at the actions taken by his friends in the day after he vanished, including failing to join the search after they drove to Nashville. 

On the night Strain went missing, he had been partying in Nashville with his Delta Chi fraternity for their annual spring formal trip, before he was kicked out of a bar around 10pm.

Surveillance footage showed him stumbling around the streets of Nashville in the hours after he was kicked out, and his fraternity brothers reportedly failed to locate him through Snapchat when they couldn't find him.

Although an exhaustive search was launched the day after Strain vanished, his mother, father, stepfather and stepmother family told NewsNation that his fraternity brothers acted in an 'appalling' way soon after.

Whiteid (center, with his father Ryan Gilbert left, stepmother left center and stepfather right) said she has been left confused at his fraternity brothers' actions in the days after he vanished 

Michelle Strain Whiteid, left, and her husband, Chris Whiteid, right, said they were shocked when Strain's fraternity brothers carried on partying amid his disappearance 

They had only called his parents at around 10am the next day, and had only began to contact authorities to report him missing by around 12:30pm, over eight hours after Strain was last seen.

Shockingly, she revealed that while his family was left to complete the police report and begin the search, the fraternity carried on their trip like nothing had happened.

'They all of a sudden disappeared, all the boys, and they ended up back out a little while later in their dress clothes to go out to their formal that night,' she said.

His stepfather, Chris Whiteid, continued: 'We spent the next four, four-and-a-half hours searching every emergency room to see if he was in the hospital, we come back and some of them are coming back from the party.

'They were waving at us as we were sitting in the truck,' he said. 'How's that make you feel?'

Riley Strain's mother Michelle Whiteid (center) questioned why his fraternity brothers delayed calling police after he vanished, as his family slammed his friends for partying the next night 

'They told us that all of them were there if we needed them, but we didn't know what we needed at that point in time, but you would have thought they would have at least been out there searching.'

Strain's father Ryan Gilbert added: 'We weren't very happy with them to say the least. It's appalling.'

When asked if they believe the fraternity brothers may know more about the disappearance than they have revealed, Strain's mother said: 'I feel like yes, maybe.'

'I haven't sat down with any of them to say, tell me your whole entire story. Would I like that? Yes, it would be nice.'

'They told us that all of them were there if we needed them, but we didn't know what we needed at that point in time, but you would have thought they would have at least been out there searching.'

Strain's father Ryan Gilbert added: 'We weren't very happy with them to say the least. It's appalling.'

When asked if they believe the fraternity brothers may know more about the disappearance than they have revealed, Strain's mother said: 'I feel like yes, maybe.'

'I haven't sat down with any of them to say, tell me your whole entire story. Would I like that? Yes, it would be nice.'

When asked why they thought his friends delayed in calling police, his father responded: 'That's the million-dollar question.'

Whiteid said that when Strain's family arrived in Nashville, they found several of his fraternity brothers outside the hotel speaking with police.

Riley Strain's mom Michelle Whiteid said her son text her to tell her his drink tasted strange hours before he disappeared 

Mystery surrounding Strain's death deepened when his mother revealed that her son texted her hours before he disappeared to tell her his drink tasted strange. 

Michelle Whiteid said Strain had ordered a rum and coke that 'didn't taste good' on the night he vanished, NewsNation reports. 

The University of Missouri student's half naked body was plucked from the Cumberland River in Tennessee 14 days after he vanished, but an initial autopsy ruled out foul play.  

'Maybe there was something in it that shouldn't have been,' Whiteid said, explaining that her son told her the drink 'tasted like barbecue'.

'I go, 'Well, that sounds awful,' Whiteid added. 'He said, 'Well, it sounds good, but it's not.''

Luke's 32 Bridge Food + Drink where Strain was last seen alive in person said he was asked to leave after being served one alcoholic drink and two waters.