A woman visiting Nashville from New Jersey, 33-year-old Alexandria Chmiel, was found alive after emerging from a riverbank following an exhaustive search by the Nashville Metropolitan Police (NMPD) and Nashville Fire Department. Chmiel had gone missing early in the morning of July 25 while visiting Music City with a friend.
The NMPD had posted on social media about the search efforts, stating that Chmiel had become separated from her friend at 3rd & Broadway before 2 a.m. and was reported missing at 3:42 a.m. She was last seen on downtown cameras at 1st & Woodland, prompting the search around the riverbank at that location.
The Nashville Fire Department utilized drone and rope operations in their search efforts, which ultimately led to the discovery of Chmiel. The NFD announced the good news on social media, stating that the missing person had been located and that NFD crews were assessing her on the scene before transporting her to the hospital.
A spokesperson for the NMPD confirmed that detectives had spoken to Chmiel and determined that no foul play was involved. Chmiel did not sustain any serious injuries and was taken to the hospital for evaluation as a precautionary measure.
Earlier this year, a similar incident occurred when Missouri college student Riley Strain went missing in Nashville after a night out with fraternity brothers in the same area and was found deceased. An investigation by the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission cleared bars in the area of any wrongdoing in that case.