QUEEN CREEK, AZ — The family of a Queen Creek teen assaulted over the weekend at a Halloween party has shared funeral arrangements for the teen on social media
Queen Creek officials said in a press conference earlier this week that Preston Lord was found in the middle of the street after an assault. His family posted in a social media fundraiser that he died from his injuries several days later.
The memorial will be held next Friday in Mesa, with services held in Gilbert next Saturday at 10 a.m. at he Mission Community Church.
Queen Creek police have not made any arrests as of Friday, November 3rd, according to the department. However, they say they are following investigative leads.
The Queen Creek Police Department is requesting video from surveillance or doorbell cameras that may have captured footage within a half-mile radius of this area between the hours of 6 and 10 p.m. on October 28.
Katey Mcpherson, a community advocate who focuses on teens and their mental health as well as social media responsibility, told ABC15 that parents should absolutely be speaking with their teenagers.
"We have this weird thing that happens where kids turn 14, 15, were like it's privacy. We don’t want to look, you have to look," she said. "When you look at our mental health stats our at most risk group is this 15 to 17 year old population."
McPherson lives not far from where the party took place Saturday night, her own teenage daughters were also invited but didn't attend because she heard it was getting out of control.
"She's going to be 18 soon so [she] was out that night and was interested in going to that party but heard from friends that it was utter chaos so she didn't go."
McPherson said she knows the parents of Lord, and his death is devastating to the entire community.
"Sweetest boy, I mean loving parents, loving aunt and uncle, cousins, friends, family, it’s just devastating, devastating," McPherson said. "It could have been any one of our children."
Regarding the juvenile's death, a representative with J.O. Combs Unified School District released the following statement:
We are devastated to learn of the sudden loss of a beloved Combs High School student. At this time, our district remains focused on supporting the family members, students, and school communities impacted by this tragedy. Out of respect for the privacy of the family, as well as the active investigation currently underway by the Queen Creek Police Department, no additional details will be shared at this time.
