‘We’re All Going Crazy:’ Friends, Family Seek Justice After Clinton Teen Found Murdered In Truck

Drake Espinoza, 17, was found dead inside a pickup truck in Custer County.

Monday, July 26th 2021, 11:03 pm



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Friends and family are mourning the loss of a 17-year-old found murdered outside the city of Clinton in Custer County.

Around 8:20 p.m. Thursday, first responders were called to a home on N 2263 Road near the Clinton Golf Course.

A teen, friends identified as Drake Espinoza, 17, was found dead inside a pickup truck.

Espinoza crashed into an iron fence on a homeowner’s property after leaving a nearby roadway, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

Neighbors said Espinoza’s foot was still on the truck’s accelerator following the crash.

“I’m shocked, I really am shocked,” said Espinoza’s close friend, Jordan Olvera.

It’s unclear what led up to Espinoza’s death.

According to the OSBI, the Bureau of Indian Affairs is now the lead investigating agency.

News 9 reached out to the bureau for more information but have not heard back.

“I wake up every day wanting to text him and everything,” said Olvera. “He’s not there anymore, it just sucks to lose somebody you got so close with and had a really good bond with.”

Olvera said Espinoza just turned 17 years old and was an only child.

“This kid was going to grow up to becoming a really successful man,” said Olvera. “He was really respectful towards everybody. Whenever it would be somebody’s bad day, he would always make somebody’s day. No matter what.”

As investigators get to work, friends and family said they can’t get answers to what happened soon enough.

“We’re all going crazy about it,” said Olvera. “I just hope that they find who they find, and I hope they get justice.

A Go Fund Me page has been started to help family pay for Espinoza’s funeral costs.

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