Lawsuit claims teen was beaten at party before body was found on highway
By Addison Kliewer
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MARLOW, Oklahoma (KOCO) — A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed by the estate of Noah Nichols, known as Noah Presgrove, a 19-year-old whose body was found alongside a southern Oklahoma highway in 2023, against several individuals.
The lawsuit, filed on June 23, alleged Presgrove was beat to death at a party fueled by underage drinking.
Presgrove was found dead with nothing but his shoes on alongside U.S. Highway 81 in Terral, Oklahoma. A necklace, a folded pair of basketball shorts and his teeth were found next to him, according to the lawsuit.
Prior to his death, Presgrove attended a party hosted by those defendants named in the lawsuit. The party allegedly served alcohol to underage individuals over several days, according to the lawsuit.
The alcohol was allegedly purchased by one of the underage defendants from Napoli’s, a convenience store in Marlow, according to the lawsuit. The company that operates that convenience store is also named in the lawsuit as a defendant.
The lawsuit claims that Presgrove and two of the defendants were seen verbally fighting at the party. At about 3:41 a.m. on Sept. 4, 2023, those attending the party noticed Presgrove was no longer present at the site of the party.
His body was found on the highway two hours later at 5:43 a.m.
The Oklahoma State Medical Examiner’s Office ruled that his death was a result of multiple blunt force trauma injuries. The manner of death was undetermined because there was no evidence on the scene to indicate what had happened.
He was found with a blood-alcohol content of 0.14 g/dL at the time of his death, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges that Presgrove was beaten to death by one or more of the defendants named in the filing, and either intentionally or accidentally, the actions at the party resulted in the 19-year-old’s death.
The lawsuit claims those hosting the party and the people who owned the land where the party took place had a legal responsibility to ensure all those invited were free of risk and were not consuming alcohol underage.
The petitioners are asking to recover Presgrove’s medical and burial expenses, compensation for mental pain and suffering, as well as the surviving family’s loss of companionship.
The lawsuit was filed in the District Court of Stephens County.
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