BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

Noah Presgrove: What we know 1 year after Oklahoma teen’s death

  • Body of Noah Presgrove, 19, found Sept. 2023 on highway in Oklahoma
  • Presgrove last seen alive at a party he attended over Labor Day weekend
  • Family members still have questions about his death

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

(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.

Noah Presgrove, a 19-year-old found dead in Oklahoma, is seen here in an undated photo.

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.

How did Noah Presgrove die?

Details surrounding Presgrove’s death are still unclear.

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.”

Jefferson County Sheriff Jeremie Wilson, among the earliest first responders at the scene, doesn’t believe Presgrove died in a “hit-and-run,” he told People during a July interview.

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.

Newton previously told NewsNation he believes Presgrove’s death was an accident, but the 19-year-old’s family suspects otherwise.

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.

Midwest

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Sunny

la

72°F Sunny Feels like 72°
Wind
1 mph N
Humidity
25%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Low 52F. Winds light and variable.
52°F Partly cloudy. Low 52F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
3 mph N
Precip
0%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waning Gibbous