In an intensified effort to locate missing University of Missouri student Riley Strain, officials have focused their search at the Cheatham Lock and Dam near Ashland City in Cheatham County, Tennessee. The Cheatham County Sheriff's Office announced their plans for a "basic shutdown" at the facility, located where the Cumberland River flows into Cheatham Lake, around noon on Wednesday.

News 2, a local news outlet, has dispatched a team of reporters to cover the search efforts and will have a crew on-site at the dam. No further details have been disclosed at this time regarding the operation.

Strain, 22, disappeared while on a fraternity trip in Nashville on March 8. Surveillance video from the Downtown Smoke & Vape Shop on Church Street captured Strain stumbling and falling in a nearby parking lot at around 9:45 p.m. Additional footage showed him crossing 1st Avenue North to Gay Street at 9:47 p.m. His last phone ping was traced to James Robertson Parkway and Gay Street between 9:55 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Authorities revealed that Strain had a phone conversation with a friend during that same time frame. However, the phone ping covered a two-mile radius and did not provide any direction of travel or further clues about his whereabouts.

A concerned friend of Strain called 911 on March 9 after visiting the Central Police Precinct and subsequently contacting the sheriff's office to file a missing person's report. The search for Strain has been ongoing since then.

In a significant development, on March 17, law enforcement announced the discovery of Strain's bank card on the embankment between Gay Street and the Cumberland River. This finding occurred amidst the ongoing search for the missing college student.

Additionally, on March 18, the police department released bodycam footage from an officer's interaction with Strain on Gay Street, south of the Woodland Street Bridge, on the evening of March 8.

The efforts to locate Riley Strain continue, and law enforcement officials are cooperating with local organizations and the United Cajun Navy to organize search operations. The community remains hopeful for his safe return as the search expands to the Cheatham Lock and Dam, where officials are dedicating their resources.

Anyone with information about Strain's whereabouts or the circumstances surrounding his disappearance is urged to come forward and contact the authorities.