BOONE COUNTY, Mo. (KTVI) – Family members of Riley Strain, a University of Missouri pupil who died past twelvemonth during a radical travel to Nashville, Tennessee, person filed a wrongful decease suit against his erstwhile fraternity and pledge brothers.

Strain, who was reported missing connected March 8, 2024, during a fraternity trip, was recovered deceased successful Nashville's Cumberland River astir 2 weeks later.

On the nighttime of his disappearance, helium was escorted retired of a barroom astir 9:30 p.m. Surveillance video showed him walking astir Nashville by himself soon afterward. At immoderate constituent aft helium near the bar, Strain texted his friends and said helium was heading backmost to the hotel, but helium ne'er arrived.

An autopsy aboriginal classified Strain's decease arsenic accidental, listing the origin arsenic “drowning and ethanol intoxication.” The autopsy revealed that Strain’s humor intoxicant level was much than doubly the ineligible limit, though authorities did not fishy foul play successful his death.

A wrongful decease lawsuit, filed Friday successful the Boone County (Missouri) Circuit Court, argues that the Delta Chi fraternity and its members were negligent successful taking due precautions to guarantee each fraternity members would beryllium harmless and failed to intervene erstwhile Strain was visibly impaired.

The suit lists 32 individuals, including Delta Chi section presidents, recruitment chairs, and assorted fraternity leaders and brothers.

According to the lawsuit, Strain initially declined to be the fraternity's yearly ceremonial travel to Nashville successful 2024, but helium yet agreed aft continued adjacent unit from his fraternity brothers.

The suit states that Strain boarded a charter autobus from Columbia, Missouri, to Nashville, wherever Delta Chi members provided brew and "pre-made alcoholic Jello shots utilizing vodka, good successful excess of 15% ABV." It claims that Strain was offered aggregate drinks contempt fraternity policies that should person prohibited specified conduct.

Shortly aft arriving successful Nashville, according to the lawsuit, respective fraternity members noticed Strain was behaving unusually, struggling to speak, locomotion and interact with others. By the evening, Strain was described arsenic "visually incoherent." The suit states, "He was leaning against walls to enactment upright, stumbling up and down steps, was wholly incapable to talk oregon communicate, and needed help."

The suit alleges that erstwhile Strain was kicked retired of the bar, his fraternity member had 2 choices: to enactment with him and guarantee his information oregon proceed partying. "Riley’s Delta Chi brothers chose to proceed partying," the suit states.

After helium near the bar, "Without help, helium instantly began walking successful the incorrect absorption and distant from the edifice wherever the fraternity was staying," the suit states.

The suit further claims that Strain wasn't checked connected until the adjacent day. It alleges that astir of the Delta Chi radical returned to the edifice astir 1 a.m. connected March 9 and that Strain's roommates noticed helium was missing but didn't instrumentality action. The adjacent day, Strain's parents were reportedly informed astir noon that helium was missing, astatine which constituent they contacted Nashville police, prompting an extended citywide search.

The suit alleges that Delta Chi failed to forestall unsafe activities, specified arsenic excessive drinking astatine the formal, and failed to enactment erstwhile Riley was successful danger. The suit further alleges that Delta Chi's enactment and policies should person prevented events that led to Riley's death.

Strain's household is seeking damages for medical, funeral, and burial expenses, arsenic good arsenic compensation for Riley's symptom and suffering earlier his death. The suit besides requests further damages resulting from his decease and a assemblage proceedings for a tribunal to determine connected immoderate further alleviation deemed "a substance of right."