Luke Bryan turned to social media on Tuesday (March 12) to offer up prayers for a college student who went missing after leaving Bryan’s bar in downtown Nashville on Friday night (March 8).
Nashville police have been searching for 22-year-old Riley Strain for several days, after his friends reported him missing on Saturday morning (March 9). Strain and his fraternity brothers were in Nashville over the weekend for a convention, and a bartender at Bryan’s 32 Bridge bar on Broadway asked Strain to leave because he had been overserved.
Strain told his friends he would walk the five blocks back to their hotel, but he never made it back, and they called his family and the police the following morning after realizing he had not returned.
Bryan posted to his Instagram Story on Tuesday, sharing a statement from the management group that runs his bar that says they are cooperating with authorities in their investigation.
“Y’all this is scary,” Bryan writes, adding, “Praying for his safe return.”
According to pings from Strain’s phone, he walked off in the wrong direction when he left Bryan’s bar at around 9:45. The last phone ping authorities were able to trace placed him near Public Square Park and the river between 10-10:30PM. His phone has been inactive since that time.
Strain’s family and friends joined Nashville police in searching parking lots, hospitals and along the river, but although Strain stands between 6’5″ and 6’7″, they have found found no witnesses who appeared to have seen him after he left the bar.
Metro Nashville Police Department is asking for tips from the public related to Strain’s disappearance. They are asking anyone with information to call 615-862-8600.
19 Country Stars With Their Own Bars + Restaurants
Of all of the side hustles country artists could partake in, opening a bar or restaurant is the most fitting — and very common. After all, many of these stars got their start on a barstool, tip jar nearby, playing their music for anyone who would listen.
These places feel like home for many of these singers. Over the years, several artists have gotten into the bar or restaurant game, and for a select few, brands have turned into franchises with several locations and/or concepts — we’re looking at you, Jimmy Buffett!
Let’s take a look at the country star food and entertainment venues that have opened over the years.