Noah Presgrove: Family seeks to hire a PI as autopsy raises more questions in teen's mystery death

Warning: Graphic content, readers’ discretion advised

TERRAL, OKLAHOMA: The family of Noah Presgrove, who was found dead on the side of a highway, continues to grapple with unanswered questions surrounding his mysterious death.

The 19-year-old was only wearing his shoes when his body was discovered on September 4, 2023, on a desolate stretch of US-81 in Terral, Oklahoma, mere hours after he vanished from a four-day party with friends.

Autopsy reveals disturbing injuries in Noah Presgrove's death

The recent release of the full autopsy report by the Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, led by Leonardo Roquero, has provided some clarity on "multiple blunt force injuries" being the reason behind his death. However, the circumstances leading to these injuries remain "undetermined."

Noah's full autopsy report detailed harrowing injuries, including 10 broken ribs, skull fractures, and internal bleeding. Further, Oklahoma Highway Patrol detectives, leading the investigation, remain uncertain about the circumstances of his death and have encountered conflicting accounts of that fateful night. 

Noah's body bore massive blunt force trauma to the back of his head, with his skull fractured, fingers torn, and teeth scattered across the highway. The teen's body showed markings akin to road rash on his left shoulder and hip, while his fingers bore injuries suggestive of a desperate struggle or attempt to cling onto something. 

Moreover, he sustained a significant skull fracture extending across his head, "splitting the middle base of skull into two," accompanied by several smaller fractures. Police investigators described his head as appearing "caved in," along with additional assorted lacerations, reported Daily Mail.

Family launches fundraiser for private investigator

The family mourned Noah's death on Tuesday, May 15, for what have been his 20th birthday. In a poignant tribute at his gravesite, his loved ones placed a cutout of Noah surrounded by balloons and a "Happy Birthday" sign.

Seeking closure, the victim's brother, Dailen Presgrove, initiated a GoFundMe campaign to finance a private investigator. The campaign has managed to raise $10,517 of the $8,000 goal. 

The description stated, "We are seeking new eyes on the case and preferably someone with law enforcement background and experience in this genre."

Dailen launched another GoFundMe campaign with a goal of $10,000 "to encourage those withholding information of the case to come forth." It had gathered $2,495 at the time of writing. 

Circumstances surrounding Noah Presgrove's death remain uncertain

Several theories about Noah's death, including the possibility of him being "forcibly pushed from the bed of a moving truck" near where the blood spot was discovered, or staggering along the road before collapsing, have been presented in the last eight months, as previously stated MEAWW.

Some also believe Noah may have met his demise in an accident or been murdered elsewhere, with his body subsequently disposed of on the highway. Others have dismissed the assertion of a possible hit-and-run due to the absence of lower body injuries, a detail incongruent with the typical pattern of such incidents.