By Destany Fuller
Published: Aug. 21, 2024 at 7:28 PM CDT|Updated: 15 minutes ago
JEFFERSON CO., Okla. (KSWO) - Those close to Noah Presgrove would describe him as selfless, athletic and special to everyone who knew him.
The now forever 19-year-old was found dead on the side of Highway 81 on Sept. 4, leaving a hole in the teen’s family and the Comanche community.
Presgrove’s death brought eyes from across the world to Southwest Oklahoma and, as the year anniversary approaches, Noah’s Army is looking to bring the teen justice.
7News has followed this case since the beginning, and here’s everything we know so far:
September 4, 2023: An investigation closes parts of Highway 81
On Labor day of 2023 7News was made aware of a large traffic jam on Highway 81. Both North and Southbound lanes of the freeway were closed in Jefferson County between Terral and Ryan, with local authorities diverting traffic to county roads.
An official with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s office confirmed the freeway was closed due to an investigation, but did not share any further details about the investigation. We were then referred to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol for more information.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol attributes freeway closure to body discovery
On Sept. 5, one day after the body was found, officials with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol confirmed Highway 81 was closed because of a dead body being found on the side of the road. Authorities revealed the body belonged to a 19-year-old male but did not release an identity.
Jefferson County law enforcement was called to the scene just north of Terral. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) was also called to the scene and later took over the investigation.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s office passed their part in the investigation over to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol shortly after.
OSBI told 7News they were investigation the death as “suspicious”, and would have more information once a cause of death was determined.
OSBI identifies found body as Noah Presgrove
Despite rumblings on social media from a community in mourning, we first officially heard the name Noah Presgrove from OSBI on Sept. 12.
Before then, the Comanche Teen was honored by his alma mater, Comanche High School, before a Friday-night football game against Marlow High School.
Both sides wore t-shirts and prayed together in his memory.
Presgrove was laid to rest after a funeral service on Sept. 11, his family would immediately start the fight to bring the teen justice.
The push for answers
We sat down with some of Noah’s relatives shortly after his death. Though they were devastated, they also shared feelings of anger and confusion.
Presgrove’s grandmother, Deborah Smith, who he lived with at the time of his death said several people claimed to love her grandson. She then called for them to come forward to bring him justice.
“Stand up for him. He would’ve stood up for you,” Smith said.
The teen’s aunt, Robyn Smith, has been on the front lines with several of his other family member’s to keep Noah’s name alive while waiting for answers. She said OHP hadn’t offered the family many details on the investigation.
“Because of the investigation, the OHP isn’t really releasing a whole lot of information because they don’t want it to get out,” she said.
The women said the recent high school graduate had plans of joining the service with his cousin. They described him as kind-hearted and dependable, and urged the community to share any information with police.
The family shared the teen went to a house party on the night of his death. The events between him leaving the party and his death are unclear.
Noah’s Story goes national, family turns to social media for help
Just before the holidays, and three months since the teen’s death, the Presgrove/Smith family said they were still feeling left in the dark about the investigation.
7News reached out to Oklahoma Highway Patrol for an update on the case. We were told the organization would not release details on the case to maintain “integrity of the investigation”.
Meanwhile, Presgrove’s older sister Madison Rawlings said closure would help her family in the grieving process.
“I know that’s he’s okay, and that we will be okay. But I think it would make it easier if we knew why,” she said.
Noah’s cousins sat in solidarity, sharing stories and memories of the teen. They all said they looked to him as an older brother; adding, despite his teasing, he always pushed them to be better and never give up on their goals.
One of the boys, Avery Poucher, said even knowing the worst happened would be better than knowing nothing at all.
“Even if it was an accident, it doesn’t matter, come clean,” he said. “It hurts not to know. It’ll hurt knowing, but it hurts more not to know and wondering, and just thinking every night what happened.”
Another of Presgrove’s cousins, Ashley Chadwick, turned to social media to bring more attention the case. Chadwick’s posts have picked up hundreds of thousands of views on TikTok. The family has since done several podcast appearances and created a Facebook page for followers to show their support.
Summary Medical Examiners report release causes domino effect
Things would remain stagnant in the Noah Presgrove investigation until April 30, when the Oklahoma State Medical Examiner’s office released a summary M.E report.
The report gave the first confirmation of a cause of the military hopeful’s death.
That report named Presgrove’s cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries, though the manner of death is listed as ‘unknown’.
Following the release of the summary report, OHP made an announcement on May 1, saying they’re not currently investigating this death as a murder.
In an exclusive interview with KSWO, Presgrove’s mother Kasey Elliott begged those with information about her son’s case to come forward.
“Please somebody, please. You know, just something, anybody. Mercy on their soul, I have mercy on their souls,” Elliott said. “I need the peace, because I’m really, I kill myself everyday.. He was just an all-around boy. He was a son that everyone would want, you know? He was my son, and I miss him. I know God needed him for some reason, and I wish he was still here with me.”
M.E office releases full medical examiner’s report
More details about Noah’s death were brought to the forefront on May 13, when the full Medical Examiner’s report was released.
According to the report, Presgrove was found naked on the southbound side of Highway 81, wearing only unmatching shoes.
The report says Presgrove was found at 5:53 a.m. on Sept 4, by a passing truck driver. The teen suffered several injuries to the head, neck, torso and extremities. But no vehicle parts or debris were found at the scene.
It’s also noted that Presgrove survived a rollover ATV accident on the night of the party. He reportedly returned to the party where he then allegedly got into an argument with his girlfriend before leaving the party again.
He wasn’t seen again until the morning he was found.
Officials reportedly found a pair of shorts, a broken metal chain and a broken tooth.
The report was completed by Pathologist Leonardo Roquero who said in the report, “what transpired on how the body was found on the road having multiple blunt force injuries is unknown. Therefore, the manner of death is deemed undetermined.”
A new normal: a year of firsts
Despite the findings of the medical examiners report, officials have yet to share details about the course of the investigation. Smith said she and her family have been pressing both OSBI and OHP for updates. They’re being told the agencies are “heading in the right direction.”
As the first anniversary of his death approaches, the family is dealing with all of the firsts without Noah. Including his birthday on May 14, where he would’ve turned 20-years-old.
To both celebrate his life and push for answers surrounding his death, several community and family members gathered for a peaceful protest and balloon release at the cemetery where he’s buried.
All came out to honor the teen, pushing to give him his voice.
“When I heard about it, it just kind of hurt. I did only meet him the once but he made an impact on me when I met him,” said Carey Farrar, one attendee. “It’s easy to see from all the videos about him, the posts about him. He was a good kid. He had a good heart.”
Elliot said the thought of her son’s life brings a smile to her face.
Noah’s Army: citizens worldwide rally to find answers
Since his death, Presgrove’s death has garnered the attention of people from across the world.
The teen’s family has created a Facebook page titled “Justice for Noah Presgrove” to bring more awareness to his case. That page has over 31.3 thousand followers and counting, all of which are calling for #JusticeforNoah.
The start of the page has tripped a reaction of more than just likes and comments though. Followers across the country have taken steps to enact real change in this case, like Michael Fazekas.
The Oregon man and his wife started a petition back in May. It call for charges to be filed against the homeowners where the party Noah attended was reportedly held.
It part, the petition reads:
“In September 2023, a dangerous party hosted by adults in Terral, Oklahoma resulted in the death of Noah Presgrove. Despite overwhelming evidence, including witness testimonies and photographic proof, law enforcement has yet to take any action. This negligence has left the victims without justice and the perpetrators unaccountable. The timeline of events shows clear disregard for evidence and inconsistencies in the investigation. Your signature can push for the necessary investigation and charges to ensure such recklessness is addressed.”
As of Aug. 5, the document has received 3,802 out of it’s goal of 5,000 signatures. Though Fazekas said nothing has come of it yet.
In July, a Duncan woman took the push for justice a step further. She created and published an offer to help investigators make advancements in the case.
Jan Fiorillo said she felt connected to Presgrove after hearing his life’s story, leading her to create an offer to pay for the legal representation of the first person with viable information that will help make a breakthrough in the case.
She said she wants to make sure that both Noah, and whoever decides to come forward, are protected during this process.
“I’m really just a victim’s advocate,” Fiorillo said. “And wanting to ensure that even the people that come forward that may have something, that their rights are protected as well.”
Since it was published, Fiorillo and followers of the Presgrove case have taken to the streets of both Oklahoma and Texas posting the offer flyers. But given the timeline of the case, the offer expired on Aug 15.
“We’re coming up on one year with this case. I made this offer on some of the Facebook pages and I think I put that out maybe a month ago? So I feel like that’s enough time to have considered this,” Fiorillo explained.
While the offer was valid, interested parties and anyone wanting to give a tip could do so at either of Jan’s two emails: helpnoahpresgrove@gmail.com or janfiarello@yahoo.com.
The 911 Calls
7News obtained copies of the full 911 calls made to authorities on the morning Noah was discovered. One caller said it looked like Noah had been hit, another saying he was on the shoulder but nearly on the white line.
Caller #1: “It looked like somebody got hit. Like, somebody walking down the highway laying on the shoulder of the road.”
Dispatcher: “It looked like somebody was laying in the road?”
Caller #1: “No. On the shoulder they were walking and maybe somebody hit them? It wasn’t a deer. It looked like a body.”
Caller #2: “I’m pretty sure there is someone laying dead along the road. They look naked. I’m staying back but...”
Dispatcher: “Yes, I just had two calls on that, and I have a deputy headed that way.”
Caller #2: “Alright, well I’m sitting here blocking the road.”
According to the Radio log, Jefferson County Sheriff requested the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation after the medical examiner told him they didn’t think his death was an accident.
Since then, several theories about what happened to Noah Presgrove have circulated on social media.
Authorities have not yet announced finding truth in any of those claims. As for the Presgrove family, they say they’ll never stop fighting to find answers.
Noah Alexander Presgrove: a brother, a son, a friend.
Though he was loved in life, his death has latched on to the hearts of sympathizers across the globe.
Media outlets like People, The New York Post and Daily Mail have shared his story, along with several podcasters. But questions as to what took place in the final hours of this teen’s life are still keeping followers guessing.
Despite a lack of information, Noah’s Army continues to grow; getting stronger each day.
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