Nashville, TN (WOKI) The family of missing Missouri student Riley Strain calls-in the United Cajun Navy, a disaster response organization made up of volunteers, for support in the search for their 22-year-old son.
The family held a press conference at Public Square Park in downtown Nashville Tuesday afternoon after asking the United Cajun Navy to help them organize search parties.
The United Cajun Navy was formed after Hurricane Katrina to provide search and rescue resources after natural disasters and in missing persons cases.
United Cajun Navy National Director of Operations David Flagg was at the press conference and said while the help from the public in the search has been welcomed, the search must become more organized and safer.
“Our main focus is to find Riley,” Flagg said. “Our secondary focus is to ensure the safety of the people who are out here searching.” “I would encourage any volunteers who have been here and are searching, to please come under the umbrella of the United Cajun Navy search.”
Flagg said the organization has had a boat on the water searching and plans to keep those efforts going while also putting together ground searches in pairs of two or three within the next few days.
Strain went missing on March 8 after getting kicked out of Luke Bryan’s Broadway bar. His bank card was found on Sunday by civilian searchers near the Cumberland River, and new video released by the Metro Nashville Police Department shows that an officer spoke to Strain on the night of his disappearance and he did not appear in distress.
Anyone who wants to volunteer to help search for Strain can message the United Cajun Army on Facebook or reach out via email at info@unitedcajunnavy.org.
