Southwest
Oklahoma authorities 'hesitant' to rule teen's death a homicide, famed pathologist suggests
As mystery surrounds the 2023 Labor Day death of Oklahoma teen military hopeful Noah Presgrove, a forensics expert broke down the medical examiner’s most recent findings and shared his theory on what caused the 19-year-old’s death.
Dr. Michael Baden, an American physician and board-certified forensic pathologist known for his work investigating high-profile deaths, told Fox News Digital that Presgrove’s death is a terrible case and that the medical examiner’s report revealed many details surrounding the night he died.
“He had a lot of internal bleeding. So, his heart kept pumping for a little bit after he was struck. But if there’s a possibility that in an ATV accident, he might have a punctured lung and was bleeding slowly. And then, as he’s walking along the highway, the bleeding gets worse, and he collapses, and then a truck hits him and causes all the injuries, on that account. But that would a lot depend on what his condition was when he gets back to the party,” Baden said.
Presgrove was found dead along a rural stretch of US-81 in Jefferson County on Labor Day in 2023. He was last seen alive at a party he attended with a group of friends that night, but nearly a year later, the family says that no one has come forward and told them how he ended up along the highway.
OKLAHOMA TEEN MILITARY HOPEFUL’S FAMILY ‘CAN’T IMAGINE’ HE WAS MURDERED, OFFERS THEORY ABOUT HIS LAST HOURS
Nearly eight months after the death of Oklahoma teen Noah Presgrove, the family is still searching for answers about this death. (Robyn Smith)
“My family is strong, but today is hard. We all miss him deeply. No one new has stepped out with different information, so it’s a waiting game,” Noah’s sister, Madison Rawlings, told Fox News Digital.
According to the medical examiner’s full report, after further investigation, it was determined that Presgrove was drinking at a house party where he was involved in an ATV rollover incident. The investigation revealed that Presgrove returned to the party where he got into an argument with his girlfriend after the ATV incident.
“No one new has stepped out with different information, so it’s a waiting game.”
“That is the only part of the party-goers’ stories that match. Each one that we have had the opportunity to talk to claims that a wreck did happen, but he was completely fine; still not sure on who the girlfriend is,” Rawlings said.
“I don’t know what to believe, honestly. Do I think they intentionally killed him? No. Do I think they were drunk and got into a fight with him? Yes …,” Kristen Smith, the mother of Noah’s best friend, Hayden, told Fox News Digital. Smith shares a birthday with Noah, who would turned 20 on Tuesday.
Baden said that due to the level of alcohol in Presgrove’s system, he may not have even been aware that he was severely injured.
CAUSE OF DEATH DETERMINED FOR OKLAHOMA TEEN MILITARY HOPEFUL FOUND ON SIDE OF ROAD
Noah Presgrove’s body was found along an Oklahoma highway on Labor Day in 2023, and the manner of his death is still unknown. (Madison Rawlings/Kristen Smith)
“The issue would be if he had any significant injuries from the ATV, such as internal bleeding. And he’s too intoxicated to think of going to a hospital or a doctor or something,” Baden said.
With the amount of alcohol believed to have been consumed at the party, Baden said the others at the party may not have even realized Presgrove was hurt when he returned, since his injuries were mostly internal.
“They assumed whatever differences of appearance he had was because he was drinking and not because of the ATV injury, which would not have caused him to collapse or anything until enough internal bleeding had occurred, since it was a small leak, a small laceration to the lung,” Baden said.
“Because the only thing that could cause the extent of the injuries to his head and spine would be a car wheel coming over him, you know, or a truck, more likely a truck and probably on the ground. And I think either he was internally bleeding and intoxicated, walking along the highway, and he collapses, and he’s lying there, and the vehicle comes and hits him in the head while he’s on the side of the road.”
NORTH CAROLINA SEARCH WARRANT SHEDS LIGHT ON MYSTERIOUS THERAPY CAMP DEATH OF 12-YEAR-OLD BOY
Noah Presgrove, 19, was wearing only his shoes when his body was discovered on a desolate stretch of US-81 near Terral, Oklahoma, on Labor Day of 2023. (Kristen Smith)
Baden added that Presgrove may not have even realized how hurt he was based on his blood alcohol level.
“So, the one thing alcohol does, it’s an anesthetic agent. And it can cover up pain caused by broken bones or a lacerated lung,” Baden said.
He said after reading the full medical examiner’s report, he believes an auto incident contributed to Presgrove’s death.
JAMES PATTERSON’S NEW TRUE-CRIME SERIES TO SPOTLIGHT 3 RIVETING UNSOLVED MURDER MYSTERIES
What led to the death of 19-year-old Oklahoma teen Noah Presgrove is still not known nearly a year later. (Madison Rawlings/Kristen Smith)
Authorities classified Presgrove’s manner of death as “undetermined,” though Baden says he believes the circumstances surrounding the teen’s death are “consistent with a hit-and-run.”
“If somebody struck him, stopped, looked at him and didn’t do anything about it and took off … that’s a hit-and-run. That could be a homicide kind of thing. So, they’re hesitant to classify it either as an accident or a homicide,” Baden said. “It’s a very sad case … but it’s consistent with a hit-and-run situation being that somebody hit him and didn’t stop.”
Presgrove had recently graduated from high school three months early with plans to enlist in the military alongside his cousin.
Baden, the host of HBO’s “Autopsy” series, was the chief medical examiner of New York City from 1978 to 1979. He has also been involved in some of the most high-profile civil rights and police brutality cases in U.S. history, from the government’s 1976 re-investigation of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. to the 2014 death of Michael Brown, whose case sparked the initial Ferguson protests that grew into the Black Lives Matter movement.
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Southwest
Republican senators hit border, touting tougher security and tax cuts, in 2026 kickoff
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Aiming to not only hold but expand their 53-47 majority in November’s midterm elections, top Senate Republicans are showcasing the plummeting rates of border crossings during a stop Friday at the nation’s southern border with Mexico.
And the group, led by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, is also highlighting how President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers are “putting more money in Americans’ pockets.”
The stop at the border, hosted by One Nation, a nonprofit outside group closely aligned with Thune, is seen as an unofficial kickoff by Senate Republicans ahead of the midterms to tout the sweeping “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act,” Trump’s signature domestic achievement last year that was passed nearly entirely along party lines in the GOP controlled Congress.
At the event at the border, which was a regular stop for Republicans amid the surge in border crossings during then-President Joe Biden’s administration, the GOP senators are teaming up with members of the National Border Patrol Council. And they are highlighting how the passage of the domestic policy measure “secured transformational border security funding,” according to One Nation.
THUNE PREVIEWS SENATE REPUBLICANS’ MIDTERM MESSAGE
Senate Majority Leader John Thune and fellow Senate Republicans speak to reporters at an event at the nation’s southern border with Mexico, on Jan. 9, 2026. (One Nation)
“This is a remarkable, remarkable difference in just a year,” Thune said at the event. “It’s been an incredible year of progress when it comes to the southern border and the American people are experiencing the benefit of that in the form of having safer streets and safer communities and safer neighborhoods.”
But with Democrats enjoying decisive victories and overperformances in the 2025 elections and in a slew of special elections and other ballot box showdowns last year, which were fueled by their laser focus on affordability amid persistent inflation, the Republican senators are also using Friday’s trip to spotlight the tax cut and energy policy provisions in the bill, which they rebranded as the “Working Families Tax Cut.”
“The Working Families Tax Cut will make buying groceries more affordable for working Americans this year,” the Senate Republicans touted on social media on the eve of the border stop. “Every Democrat voted against it.”
DOUBLING DOWN: TOP HOUSE DEMOCRAT SAYS FOCUS ON HIGH PRICES ‘ABSOLUTELY GOING TO CONTINUE’
And they also highlighted that “Senate Republicans have worked closely with President Trump to lower energy prices and make life more affordable — and the results speak for themselves.”
Thune, at the border, pointed to the tax cut provisions in the GOP measure, including no tax on tips and overtime and reduced rates for seniors on Social Security, along with “the jobs that are going to be created by the pro-growth policies that we put in place….are going to lead us to a place where the American people are seeing their incomes go up.”
But Democrats see the cost of living as their winning issue heading into the midterms.
“If the Republican agenda actually made life more affordable for working Americans, then they wouldn’t be desperately flailing as families struggle to afford groceries, health care, and housing,” Lauren French, communications director at Senate Majority PAC, the top Senate Democrat-aligned outside group, told Fox News Digital. “Instead of focusing on working people, Trump and Senate Republicans are focused on bringing chaos and instability into our communities.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., holds a political and policy event Friday at the nation’s southern border with Mexico. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Joining Thune, the longtime senator from South Dakota, at the border is Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, number two in Senate Republican leadership.
There are also Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, who faces a bruising GOP primary showdown in March against challengers Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt; and Republican Sens. Jon Husted of Ohio and Ashley Moody of Florida, who were appointed last year and will face voters this November.
HEALTHCARE, ECONOMY AND THE ‘ONE BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’: WELCOME TO THE MIDTERMS
GOP Sens. Pete Ricketts of Nebraska and Mike Rounds of South Dakota, who are up for re-election this year, are also on the trip, as are former Rep. Mike Rogers and former Republican National Committee chair Mike Whatley, the GOP Senate candidates in battlegrounds Michigan and North Carolina who are backed by Thune and the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
“We’re seeing signs already that the economy is starting to tick up and is starting to take hold as the President’s policies are getting in place,” Whatley argued last month in a Fox News Digital interview. “We need to make sure that we have the trade policies, the tax policies, the regulatory policies from this administration that are going to help our small businesses, our manufacturers and our farmers across North Carolina.”
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But Democrats are energized as the midterm year begins, as they continue to keep their focus on the issue of affordability.
“Donald Trump has lost the economy, is losing his mind, and is going to lose the midterms,” Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin claimed in a recent statement.
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Southwest
Body found during search for missing Texas teen Camila Mendoza Olmos as another teen girl disappears
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A body was found Tuesday evening as authorities in Bexar County, Texas, grapple with a series of disappearances involving teen girls who all went missing within a week.
The body was found during the search for 19-year-old Camila Olmos, though police said it is too early to determine whether the remains belong to her.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said during a news conference that investigators had “just recently found a body in a field” around 4:40 to 4:45 p.m., adding that the medical examiner will determine both the identity of the body and the cause and manner of death.
The body was found by a joint team of sheriff’s deputies and FBI agents in an area of tall grass near a landscaping business, a few hundred yards from Olmos’ home, according to Salazar.
MISSING CAMILA MENDOZ OLMOS: DASHCAM CAPTURES LAST SIGHTING OF TEXAS TEEN WHO VANISHED CHRISTMAS EVE
Camila Olmos was reported missing on Christmas Eve. (Bexar County Sheriff)
A firearm was recovered near the body, which authorities said had been an item of interest during the search.
Salazar said investigators do not currently suspect murder and noted there were indicators consistent with possible self-harm, though he stressed it is too early to draw conclusions while the scene is still being processed.
Olmos was last seen leaving her home in far northwest Bexar County around 7 a.m. on Dec. 24, authorities said. Her case came as two other girls were reported missing in the area. Fourteen-year-old Sofia Gabriela Peters-Cobos has since been found safe, while 17-year-old Angelique Johnson remains missing, according to police.
Law enforcement has said there is no confirmed connection between the cases.
MISSING CAMILA MENDOZ OLMOS: DASHCAM CAPTURES LAST SIGHTING OF TEXAS TEEN WHO VANISHED CHRISTMAS EVE
Angelique Johnson, from San Antonio, Texas, was reported missing. (Bexar County Sheriff’s Office)
Texas Department of Public Safety said the Clear Alert for Olmos has been discontinued, though authorities urged anyone with information related to the cases or the whereabouts of Angelique Johnson to contact the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
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The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office and the San Antonio Police Department did not respond immediately to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
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Southwest
Former GOP Sen Jon Kyl announces dementia diagnosis, steps away from public life
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Former Republican Sen. Jon Kyl announced on Tuesday he is withdrawing from public life after being diagnosed with dementia.
Kyl, 83, became one of Arizona’s most prominent Republicans during a career that spanned nearly three decades across both chambers of Congress, including a stint as Senate minority whip.
“I was blessed to represent the people of Arizona in Congress and to have numerous other opportunities to contribute to the political and civic life of our nation and state,” Kyl said in a statement. “However, the time has come for me to withdraw from public life. I have been diagnosed with a neurological disease manifesting as dementia.”
Kyl represented Arizona’s 4th Congressional District in the House from 1987 to 1995 before serving in the U.S. Senate from 1995 to 2013.
DAVID MARCUS: BEN SASSE IS DYING, BUT HIS LETTER TO AMERICA WILL LIVE FOREVER
Former Arizona Republican Senator Jon Kyl announced on Tuesday he is withdrawing from public life after being diagnosed with dementia. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
After leaving the Senate, Kyl joined the lobbying firm Covington and Burling, before being appointed in 2018 by then-Gov. Doug Ducey to fill the vacancy caused by the death of former Sen. John McCain.
Kyl held the seat for several months in the Senate before rejoining the firm in 2019, where he helped guide the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
The longtime Arizona lawmaker described himself as “a very fortunate man” despite the diagnosis.
FORMER COLORADO SEN. BEN NIGHTHORSE CAMPBELL DEAD AT 92
Former Arizona Republican Sen. Jon Kyl, left, and Bruce Babbitt, right, former Arizona Republican governor and secretary of the Interior, wave to the crowd as they are recognized during Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey’s state of the state address Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
“My family and I now head down a path filled with moments of joy and increasing difficulties,” he stated. “I am grateful beyond expression for their love and support, in these coming days as in all the days of my life.”
Kyl moved to Arizona as an 18-year-old freshman to attend the University of Arizona, where he met his wife.
The university said Kyl devoted more than two decades to public service, leaving a lasting impact on water policy, national defense and intelligence.
“His leadership, integrity, and commitment to service reflect the highest ideals of public life,” the university said in a statement.
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Former Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., announced he is withdrawing from public life after being diagnosed with dementia. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., said Kyl gave “decades of his life” serving Arizona, adding that he’s grateful for the former GOP senator’s “commitment to our state and country.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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