Latest news with #Terral
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Yahoo
Marine hopeful found dead on roadside after holiday party may have been 'beat to death,' lawsuit claims
A Marine hopeful from Oklahoma who was found dead and naked on the side of a road in 2023 may have been beaten to death, a new wrongful death lawsuit states. Noah Presgrove, 19, had attended a multi-day Labor Day party with friends that weekend before his body was found off U.S. Highway 81 in Terral on Sept. 4, 2023. Officials found teeth, a necklace and basketball shorts next to Presgrove's lifeless body. While authorities initially speculated that Presgrove may have been struck by a car after the party, the lawsuit filed on June 23 seeking at least $75,000 in damages alleges that the 19-year-old's death "was not caused by being hit with a motor vehicle." Fox News Digital reached out to the plaintiff's attorney for comment. Family Of Oklahoma Teen Noah Presgrove Speaks Out 2 Years After Mysterious Death Presgrove had attended the Labor Day party that weekend, which allegedly involved underage drinking, hosted by defendants Avery Howard, Carter Combs, and Logan Jernigan, according to the lawsuit. Read On The Fox News App The party took place on a property owned by defendant Johnnie Trout Wilcoxson Jr. in a trailer owned by defendant Stevie Howard, the complaint states. Some of the defendants did not have legal representation listed at the time of publication, and none of the defendants had responded to the lawsuit at the time of publication. Andrew Benedict, an Oklahoma-based attorney representing Wilcoxson and Howard, has not responded to requests for comment from Fox News Digital. Oklahoma Authorities 'Hesitant' To Rule Teen's Death A Homicide, Famed Pathologist Suggests The complaint alleges that defendant Jack Newton, despite being under 21, purchased the alcohol from Napoli's convenience store, operated by Val Petrol, LLC. Fox News Digital reached out to Val Petrol, LLC for comment. Oklahoma Teen Military Hopeful's Family 'Can't Imagine' He Was Murdered, Offers Theory About His Last Hours Presgove's blood alcohol level was about twice the legal limit at the time of his death. Presgrove had apparently been drinking at a house party where he was involved in a rollover incident while riding an ATV that Newton apparently permitted Presgrove to ride even though he was intoxicated at the time, according to the medical examiner's full report, upon further investigation. "The highway was poorly lit at night. There were no vehicle parts or debris observed on the scene. Further investigation revealed that the decedent was at a house party and drinking on September 3, 2023," the full report reads, in part. "Then he rode an ATV ranger vehicle with several men that had a roll over incident. … The decedent left the house party and was not found until the morning of September 4, 2023, on the side of the highway." An investigation also revealed that Presgrove had returned to the party after the ATV incident. He was last seen in a "verbal argument" with Howard and Newton around 3:41 a.m. on Sept. 4, the lawsuit states. The medical examiner ruled Presgrove's cause of death to be blunt force trauma to the head, torso and extremities. Cause Of Death Determined For Oklahoma Teen Military Hopeful Found On Side Of Road "Decedent was beat to death by one or more of the defendants," the complaint says, though it does not include factual allegations demonstrating that Presgrove was beaten to death, adding that "two or more defendants engaged in a civil conspiracy to beat [Presgrove]." Third Teen Death In National Forest Raises Alarm As Two High Schoolers Found Shot During Camping Trip The lawsuit accuses the defendants of duty of care violations, civil conspiracy, negligence and recklessness in connection with Presgrove's death. Presgrove had graduated from high school three months early with plans to enlist in the military alongside his cousin. Fox News Digital's Stepheny Price contributed to this article source: Marine hopeful found dead on roadside after holiday party may have been 'beat to death,' lawsuit claims
Fox News
13-07-2025
- Fox News
Marine hopeful found dead on roadside after holiday party may have been 'beat to death,' lawsuit claims
A Marine hopeful from Oklahoma who was found dead and naked on the side of a road in 2023 may have been beaten to death, a new wrongful death lawsuit states. Noah Presgrove, 19, had attended a multi-day Labor Day party with friends that weekend before his body was found off U.S. Highway 81 in Terral on Sept. 4, 2023. Officials found teeth, a necklace and basketball shorts next to Presgrove's lifeless body. While authorities initially speculated that Presgrove may have been struck by a car after the party, the lawsuit filed on June 23 seeking at least $75,000 in damages alleges that the 19-year-old's death "was not caused by being hit with a motor vehicle." Fox News Digital reached out to the plaintiff's attorney for comment. Presgrove had attended the Labor Day party that weekend, which allegedly involved underage drinking, hosted by defendants Avery Howard, Carter Combs, and Logan Jernigan, according to the lawsuit. The party took place on a property owned by defendant Johnnie Trout Wilcoxson Jr. in a trailer owned by defendant Stevie Howard, the complaint states. Some of the defendants did not have legal representation listed at the time of publication, and none of the defendants had responded to the lawsuit at the time of publication. Andrew Benedict, an Oklahoma-based attorney representing Wilcoxson and Howard, has not responded to requests for comment from Fox News Digital. The complaint alleges that defendant Jack Newton, despite being under 21, purchased the alcohol from Napoli's convenience store, operated by Val Petrol, LLC. Fox News Digital reached out to Val Petrol, LLC for comment. Presgove's blood alcohol level was about twice the legal limit at the time of his death. "Either intentionally or accidentally, the defendants killed the decedent." Presgrove had apparently been drinking at a house party where he was involved in a rollover incident while riding an ATV that Newton apparently permitted Presgrove to ride even though he was intoxicated at the time, according to the medical examiner's full report, upon further investigation. "The highway was poorly lit at night. There were no vehicle parts or debris observed on the scene. Further investigation revealed that the decedent was at a house party and drinking on September 3, 2023," the full report reads, in part. "Then he rode an ATV ranger vehicle with several men that had a roll over incident. … The decedent left the house party and was not found until the morning of September 4, 2023, on the side of the highway." An investigation also revealed that Presgrove had returned to the party after the ATV incident. He was last seen in a "verbal argument" with Howard and Newton around 3:41 a.m. on Sept. 4, the lawsuit states. The medical examiner ruled Presgrove's cause of death to be blunt force trauma to the head, torso and extremities. "Decedent was beat to death by one or more of the defendants," the complaint says, though it does not include factual allegations demonstrating that Presgrove was beaten to death, adding that "two or more defendants engaged in a civil conspiracy to beat [Presgrove]." The lawsuit accuses the defendants of duty of care violations, civil conspiracy, negligence and recklessness in connection with Presgrove's death. Presgrove had graduated from high school three months early with plans to enlist in the military alongside his cousin.
Daily Mail
12-07-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Noah Presgrove bombshell that could FINALLY crack teen death mystery... and his smiling friends should be worried
The mystery of how a teenager ended up dead beside a lonely highway could finally be solved if a bombshell lawsuit sees his friends grilled under oath. Noah Presgrove, 19, was wearing only shoes when his body was discovered on a desolate stretch of US-81 near Terral, Oklahoma, on September 4, 2023.
Daily Mail
24-06-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Noah Presgrove's family name names in shock lawsuit over death of teen found naked on road next to his teeth
The family of a teenager mysteriously found dead on a lonely highway are suing seven people, claiming he was 'beaten to death'. Noah Presgrove, 19, was wearing only shoes when his body was discovered on a desolate stretch of US-81 near Terral, Oklahoma, on September 4, 2023. He was last seen alive about a mile away at a four-day 22nd birthday party with friends over the Labor Day weekend that was heavily documented on social media. Presgrove suffered massive head and upper-body injuries that led him to die from internal bleeding, but the cause of those injuries remains a mystery. His cadre of close pals still raging well into that Sunday night consistently claimed they had no idea how he died, if they were even awake when he did. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol is not investigating his death as a murder, but his family has long believed he was beaten to death and his body dumped on the road. Almost two years after his death, and with barely a peep from cops, they are out of patience and filed a $75,000 wrongful death lawsuit on Monday. '[Presgrove] was beat to death by one or more of the defendants,' the lawsuit claimed, without specifying who they believed did it. The lawsuit left open the possibility that the alleged beating wasn't meant to kill him, and included 'unidentified individuals' among the defendants. 'Either intentionally or accidentally, the defendants killed [Presgrove],' the lawsuit claimed. 'Although the death may have been unintended, hosting the party and beating of [Presgrove] was intentionally, malicious, and in reckless disregard of [his] rights.' OHP didn't explicitly rule out manslaughter in its statement last year. Presgrove's family insisted his death was 'not caused by being hit by a motor vehicle', an early explanation now thought to be unlikely by investigators. The complaint named four of Presgrove's close friends who were at the party, one of their fathers, owners of the house, and a shop where they bought booze. Presgrove's best friend Jack Newton and on-again, off-again girlfriend Carter Combs were two of the most prominent defendants in the lawsuit. Jack was singled out as who allegedly bought the alcohol Presgrove drank, which the complaint argued made him partly culpable for his death. Logan Jernigan, one of the girls who was at the party whom Presgrove fell asleep with earlier on the weekend, and was there the night he died. She is named as a defendant in the lawsuit He allegedly bought the booze from Napoli's convenience store in Marlow, Oklahoma, also named as a defendant and accused of selling alcohol to a minor. Two other girls, Avery Jo Combs and Logan Jernigan, were along with Carter accused of hosting the party. 'The party was a civil conspiracy... to furnish alcoholic beverages to underaged and intoxicated individuals, such as [Presgrove], over the course of several days,' the lawsuit claimed. They were accused of providing Presgrove with alcohol 'even after he was already intoxicated' and breaching their duty of care by doing so. Presgrove's autopsy report found he had a blood alcohol level of 0.14. Jack's father Caleb Newton was accused in the lawsuit of allowing Presgrove to drive or ride on an ATV, which flipped and allegedly injured him. Newton has long maintained he was never at the party and the ATV has in the past been referred to as belonging to Jack. Avery and Carter's mother Stevie Howard was named in the suit because she owned a trailer next to the house that was used in the party, as was her father Johnnie Trout Wilcoxson, who owned the property but was not present. Howard has been one of the most vocal major players in the saga on Facebook groups that sprung up to discuss his death, strongly defending her children and other partygoers and dismissing sinister theories about Presgrove's death. The lawsuit demanded at least $75,000 in damages for funeral expenses, pain and suffering, and lost earnings and companionship, plus punitive damages. 'Defendants acted maliciously and/or in reckless disregard of [Presgrove's] rights, justifying an award of punitive damages,' it claimed. The lawsuit offered no evidence that Presgrove was beaten to death, let alone by anyone at the party, and none has emerged since his body was found - other than the nature of his injuries. Dr Stuart Fischer, an internist doctor with extensive experience in emergency medicine, agreed with the premise of the lawsuit when he reviewed Presgrove's autopsy report for the Daily Mail last year. He concluded the injuries Presgrove suffered were so catastrophic and varied that him being mortally wounded in a severe beating was the most likely cause. The inclusion of 'unidentified individuals' in the lawsuit admitted the possibility that Jack, Avery, Carter, and Logan played no direct role in his death. The seven-page complaints includes some of the known facts in the case, including the ATV accident, and an argument just before Presgrove vanished. 'Toward the end of the party, defendants Jack Newton and Avery Howard were seen verbally fighting with [Presgrove],' it claimed. A rough series of events emerged over the year since his death as the case was investigated, texts were leaked, and the details intensely discussed online. The generally accepted narrative includes Presgrove being dirty after the ATV accident and being helped to shower by Carter and another partygoer, Jasmine Milan, because of how drunk he was. Presgrove soon after argued with Avery, whom some friends claim he was hooking up with at the time, after he asked to sleep in her bed and she refused and told him he had to sleep on the floor. 'She told him he couldn't sleep in her bed because he messed with her friend the night before,' Jack told a friend last year. The argument upset Presgrove, and he wandered off into the night 'to cool off', never to be seen alive again. Jack in Facebook messages explained to a friend his own argument with Presgrove: 'We argued about girls for a second then ended up holding each other crying telling each other how much we meant to one another.' The lawsuit added that 'at least some partygoers' realized Presgrove was gone at 3.41am. The 3.41am timing is a reference to a selfie Jasmine posted to Snapchat with the caption 'well, Noah's missing'. Presgrove was found at 5.43am, according to both police and the lawsuit, naked and with some of his teeth scattered around his body. He was spotted by an Oklahoma Petroleum Allies hauler driver and Gulfmark Energy field supervisor Tyler Hardy, both of whom called 911 minutes later. Jack claimed he happened upon the scene about 6am as he left to go fishing with his father Caleb, whom he called at 6.05am. 'I figured maybe he got a ride or something, Noah's done that before - got mad and left,' he told the Daily Mail last year. 'He was not one you usually worry about. I wasn't really thinking about it.' This timeline is disputed by another partygoer, Kaden Pressy, who claimed he was woken up at 5.15am by Jack bursting through he door at 5.15am. 'Jack Newton bursts through the door saying "Noah is dead". Like, frantic, tearing up,' he told detectives in a leaked recording of a June 21 interview. Pressy also claimed when he followed Jack to the body, Presgrove had black shorts on, in contrast to being naked with a pair of white shorts on the road nearby. Since the Daily Mail's initial coverage of Presgrove's death last April incited global media attention, thousands of true-crime enthusiasts have flocked to three Facebook groups and Reddit to endlessly discuss the case. Many of them are convinced Presgrove was murdered and his body dumped on the road, especially given the lack of blood at the scene. They have hailed the lawsuit filing as a huge step towards justice for Presgrove, despite its lack of evidence of foul play so far.
