Death of Riley Strain: Private detective closes investigation

A private investigator has completed his investigation into the death of Riley Strain, the 22-year-old University of Missouri student who was found dead in the Cumberland River in Nashville, Tennessee, about two weeks after he disappeared.

Steve Fisher posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, July 9, that it had completed its investigation. He told PEOPLE he could not comment on his findings.

On the social media platform, Fischer said the report he sent to Strain’s family is 281 pages long and is accompanied by a 49-minute video presentation that includes “key pieces of surveillance footage” from the time Strain initially disappeared. He also said in his post that there are more than 104 hours of surveillance video from more than 20 cameras.

“Riley can be followed throughout the evening, from dinner until 9:58 p.m.,” he said. “Because so much data has already been released, the family may decide not to read my report at this time. There is a lot to repeat, and the accompanying video will no doubt be difficult to watch.”

Speaking to PEOPLE, Strain’s stepfather Chris Whiteid said he had not had a chance to read the report or view the footage.

“What’s in there? I really don’t know because we haven’t had a chance to look at it yet. We’re still waiting on the police report since they’ve closed the report now,” Whiteid says. “We’d like to see what they have.”

According to Whiteid, the family has been told they can get up to an hour for free, but the estimate for all the information is at least $1,600 to $1,800. “And we’ve heard of cases where it costs $10,000 to $15,000 to get everything in a case like this,” he adds.

The family was also told they must live in Tennessee to receive the information. “We’re trying to get answers,” Whiteid tells PEOPLE. “I don’t know if we’ll ever get answers, but once we see everything they have that we haven’t seen yet, we’ll have a better idea. So that’s where we’re at.”

Despite all this, Whiteid says the family is still trying to understand what exactly happened to their son – and also to process the healing process.

“We took a little time out and cleared our heads a little, then everything started exploding again. And so it goes on, day after day, hour after hour, minute after minute. Some days are just better than others,” he says. “And it seems like every time something explodes, all the emotions and questions come back.”

Whiteid adds: “So we’re just here. I mean, that’s the best way to put it: We’re just here.”

Nashville police did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Friday, July 12.