Preston Lord's death ruled a homicide by Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner

Preston Lord's death has officially been ruled a homicide by the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner.

On Oct. 28, the 16-year-old was left lying in the street, beaten, outside a Halloween party in Queen Creek. He died two days later.

The specific cause of death has not been released by the Medical Examiner's Office.

The medical examiner's report was completed Wednesday, said Queen Creek police Chief Randy Brice in a statement. The determination that the manner of death was homicide is consistent with the Police Department's conclusions, he said.

The report is under legal review to ensure private or confidential information is not released, said Fields Moseley, a spokesperson for the county. As part of the legal review, material is also redacted if it's deemed to be in the state's best interest to do so. It's not clear how long the review will take because each case is different, Moseley said.

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No one has been arrested or named as a suspect by Queen Creek police in the homicide investigation, the department's first. In late December, police referred charges for seven people — a mix of adults and juveniles — to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office for review, which is expected to take time.

Lord's death exposed a string of attacks by teens in the southeast Valley. In December, an investigation by The Arizona Republic found the "Gilbert Goons," a gang of mostly affluent teenagers, had engaged in group assaults 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.

Reach the reporter at elena.santacruz@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Preston Lord's death officially ruled a homicide