Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
NewsNation
Noah Presgrove: What we know 1 year after Oklahoma teen’s death
By Katie Smith,
4 hours ago
( NewsNation ) — Few answers have come to light in the year since 19-year-old Noah Presgrove ’s body was discovered on the side of an Oklahoma highway.
The information that has surfaced often left Presgrove’s family with more questions. On the anniversary of the young man’s death, those who knew and love Presgrove continue to search for an explanation that will snap the fractured image of his final moments into place.
His sister, Madison Rawlings, believes “somebody knows exactly what happened” to Presgrove.
“I just hope that they can find it in their hearts to just do the right thing,” she said in a May interview on “ NewsNation Prime .” “And if you’re doing the right thing, then that’s all that we can ask of you.”
Piecing together Noah Presgrove’s final moments
Presgrove was last seen alive at a party he attended with friends over the 2023 Labor Day weekend.
Madison Rawlings told “ NewsNation Prime ” in May that she thinks “something happened at the party” and encouraged anyone with information to speak up.
The night began as a small celebration for a friend’s 22nd birthday, but social media posts drew a larger crowd and the party swelled, Presgrove’s close friend told People . About 36 people showed up throughout the night. Some of the partygoers were older and most of them were strangers to Presgrove and his friends.
At some point, Presgrove was involved in an ATV accident, argued with two female friends and changed into a pair of shorts and mismatched shoes. He ultimately left the party at about 3:30 a.m.
That’s when sightings of Presgrove seemed to end — until 911 callers discovered the man’s body on the side of the road hours later.
The 911 calls
People obtained the audio of two 911 calls that came in at about 6 a.m. local time that day.
In the first audio, a man identified as “Tyler” said he wasn’t sure what he saw “laying on the shoulder of the road” Labor Day morning.
Soon after, police received another call from someone identified as “Tyler Hardy.” The caller said he had seen a body on the side of the road and, like the first caller, mistook it for a deer.
“I’m pretty sure there’s somebody laying dead along the road,” Hardy said. “They look naked. I’m staying back.”
When he pulled over and saw Presgrove’s body lying in a fetal position, Hardy said he saw the 19-year-old was wearing nothing except for a pair of mismatched shoes. About 25 feet away from Presgrove were a pair of white shorts.
Law enforcement later said they discovered “a couple of teeth” next to his body.
Presgrove’s best friend, Jack Newton, also came across the recent high school graduate’s body while Hardy waited for police to arrive. Newton had planned to meet his dad for a fishing trip that morning, People reported .
A medical examiner’s report obtained by NewsNation local affiliate KFOR showed that Presgrove died from “multiple blunt force injuries.” His manner of death is “undetermined.”
No car parts or debris were found on the scene, the medical report stated. It’s unclear how he received his injuries or how he ended up on the side of the highway.
Wilson and others at the scene recalled seeing blood, but “not as much as there should have been.”
Lingering questions
Members of Presgrove’s family have said they believe “somebody knows exactly what happened.”
But on the anniversary of the Presgrove’s death, they still don’t have those details and theories circulating among the teen’s inner circle vary.
Dailen Presgrove, Noah’s brother, told NewsNation he suspected foul play.
“As I’m looking at it, it just seems weird,” he previously told NewsNation. “The placement of the body. The tooth, the shorts. It doesn’t look like a hit-and-run.”
His body was discovered along U.S. 81 on Sept. 4, 2023.
Initially, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation declared Presgrove’s death as “suspicious ,” but the state’s Highway Patrol later said it was not investigating Presgrove’s death as a murder. A medical examiner’s report NewsNation local affiliate KFOR revealed in May states that Presgrove died from “multiple blunt force injuries” and labels his manner of death as “undetermined.”
Various injuries and abrasions could be seen on Presgrove, the medical examiner’s report said. Family members of Presgrove’s said to NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield that Presgrove’s skull was caved in, he had road rash on his hip, a gravel rash on his shoulder, multiple bruises and scattered teeth.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Comments / 0