'Impossible to bear': Preston Lord's parents urge patience as investigation continues
The parents of Preston Lord released a statement Wednesday that said they are "exercising patience to ensure the best possible outcome" from the criminal investigation into their son's death.
Lord's parents, Nick Lord and Autumn Curiel, said they have received updates from the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, which is reviewing potential charges in the homicide case.
"The loss of our son is impossible to bear, and we understand that there is work to be done to achieve justice for Preston," said the statement, which attorney Bryn K. DeFusco released.
Lord, 16, was beaten at a Halloween party at a Queen Creek house in late October. He died two days later.
Charges referred: It's been 3 months since Preston Lord died. Why have there been no arrests?
Since then, people and businesses in the southeast Valley — on social media, during marches, at city council meetings — have called for #Justice4PrestonLord as they await arrests.
No one has been named as a suspect by Queen Creek police. But in late December, police referred charges for seven people — a mix of adults and juveniles — to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office for review.
Lord's death exposed a string of attacks by teens in the southeast Valley. A December investigation by The Arizona Republic found the "Gilbert Goons," a gang of mostly affluent teenagers, had engaged in group attacks for more than a year.
Most attacks occurred in Gilbert. Parents, students, and community activists say members of the Goons were involved in Lord's beating.
Since The Republic's report was published, Gilbert police have reactivated and opened multiple investigations and have made over a dozen arrests related to what the department describes as "teen violence cases." Some of the teens who have been arrested have been linked to Lord's homicide investigation.
Queen Creek police submitted a 2,000-page report on Lord's homicide investigation to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, said County Attorney Rachel Mitchell at a news briefing in January.
There are more than 2,000 pieces of evidence, and 600 of them are videos prosecutors must watch and vet, Mitchell said.
In their statement, Lord's parents asked "members of the community and the media" to be patient as the investigation proceeds.
"We are grateful for the outpouring of support and appreciate the upstanding individuals who have provided information to law enforcement," the statement said.
Reach the reporter at elena.santacruz@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'We are exercising patience': Preston Lord's parents release statement
