NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The search for Riley Strain is now ten days and counting.
Authorities and volunteers are not giving up yet. Strain was last seen March 8.
Riley’s parents are now asking for more help, hoping the United Cajun Navy can bring some more clues to light.
“We feel we need the extra resources,” Riley’s stepfather, Chris Whiteid, said.
On Tuesday, Riley’s mother could be seen visibly shaken while speaking to the media.
“He’s my best friend,” Michelle Whiteid said through tears. “He’s everything.”
The United Cajun Navy has been assisting in the search for Strain since last week and is now increasing its efforts in the search.
“We’ve had an airboat on the Cumberland River and we’ll have a hovercraft coming this weekend,” David Flagg, national director of operations for the United Cajun Navy, told the media.
At the moment, Flagg is the only boots on the ground member, but he expects that to change soon.
“We will be putting together a structured and organized ground search,” he explained.
He is asking every volunteer to come under the umbrella of the United Cajun Navy.
On Sunday, two volunteers found Strain’s bank card on an embankment between Gay Street and the Cumberland River. Investigators are still ruling out any criminal activity despite the discovery.
“There has not been any evidence to come forward to change this to an ongoing criminal investigation,” Metro Nashville Pollice Department Detective Anthony Chandler said.
