Was Riley Strain gay?

The search for Riley Strain came to a tragic end last weekend after the 22 year old’s body was found in the Cumberland river. Whilst the investigation into his death is ongoing there are still plenty of questions people have regarding who Riley Strain was.

Strain was missing for two full weeks before his body was found. CCTV footage showed him drunkenly stumbling on his own at several locations before disappearing entirely. On TikTok people went wild with concern for the young man, with many fearing the worst. Hundreds shared theories as to what could have happened to Strain with some even suspecting he may have been drugged at Luke Bryan’s bar.

Was Riley Strain gay?

There has been particular interest in this question although there have been very few details released regarding Strain’s sexuality. We do know one of the final texts he sent was to a girl he was “speaking with” according reports The Independent, whilst E! News names one “Anna Pauly” as Strain’s girlfriend. All this suggests he was heterosexual.

It seems that the confusion may come from the fact that he was seen by an officer on Gay Street and this was confirmed by bodycam footage which was shared on the “timeline of events” article by CBS News. This was his last confirmed sighting, there was no footage of him leaving Gay Street.

Why do people want to know?

Whilst the police have stated that Riley’s death appears to have been accidental according to NBC News there were some who suspected that his death could have involved foul play with theories being thrown about that his death was linked to the Smiley Face Killer (which seems to be more of an urban legend). If that had been the case, homophobia could have been the motivation behind it. Of course, as previously stated, Strain’s sexuality is not public knowledge, and his tragic death appears to be an accident.