Even though a non-accidental version of Riley Strain's death might seem plausible, it really does seem like the simplest explanation is true: Strain got overly intoxicated, had trouble walking, at some point slipped and stumbled into the Cumberland River, and wasn't unable to swim out. The Tennessean states that detectives were present when Strain's autopsy was conducted, and everyone concurred that Strain's death appeared accidental.
An accidental death also fits Strain's final communication to his girlfriend, which comes across as a drunken text. As News Nation says, Strain's girlfriend texted to ask how he was doing and received a short, "Good lops" in return. It's possible that the text had been autocorrected incorrectly and Strain was too intoxicated to notice or care. Otherwise, some think that the "lops" means, "low on power, sorry." Then again, it turns out that Strain's battery was not actually low on power.
On the other hand, Nashville police officer body cam footage also captured Strain on the night of his disappearance. At the time, and as the footage shows (via The National Desk/YouTube), Strain showed no signs of having a hard time walking or talking when the officer asked how he was doing. That being said, being intoxicated doesn't necessarily mean that Strain couldn't walk well for the few seconds that he was caught on body cam.
