Nex Benedict: Oklahoma teenager died by suicide, autopsy says
A 16-year-old individual from Oklahoma, whose passing in February garnered widespread attention throughout the United States, was determined by a medical examiner to have died by suicide.
Identified as Nex Benedict, this individual was non-binary and preferred the use of they/them pronouns.
Their demise, occurring one day after an altercation in a school restroom, prompted nationwide protests and candlelight vigils.
The disclosure of the cause of death came from a partial autopsy report issued on Wednesday by Oklahoma’s chief medical examiner.
According to the medical examiner’s findings, Nex had passed away due to the ingestion of a combination of medications.
The altercation the day before Nex’s death took place in a restroom at Owasso High School, as reported by authorities. The conflict was halted by fellow students and a member of the school staff.
Although the school did not summon an ambulance, its nurse advised that Nex undergo additional medical assessment “as a precautionary measure.”
In police-released bodycam footage from an interview conducted at the hospital that day, Nex mentioned experiencing harassment along with their group before the altercation, citing “the way that we dress” as a contributing factor.
After returning home, Nex’s mother contacted emergency services on February 8th, expressing concerns about their shallow breathing and rolling eyes. Tragically, the teenager succumbed to their condition in the hospital thereafter.
As the case began to receive national scrutiny, police released a statement saying only that preliminary autopsy information showed the teenager had not died “as a result of trauma”.
On Wednesday, police said they had suspected suicide throughout their investigation but had waited for the autopsy report to make a definitive statement.
A complete autopsy will be released in 10 days.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said his “heart is broken” over Nex’s death.
“The Medical Examiner’s finding of suicide makes me even more concerned that bullying played a role in this terrible loss,” he wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
In the wake of the incident, the school district did not confirm whether Nex had been bullied for their gender identity.
The superintendent of Owasso Public Schools called Nex’s death “devastating”.
“As we mourn together, OPS remains focused on the safety and well-being of our students and staff,” said Margaret Coates.
Campaigners have criticized laws in Oklahoma that ban students from using school toilets and changing rooms that do not align with their sex at birth and have raised concerns about LGBT people being targeted.
One advocacy group, Freedom Oklahoma, said at the time that members of the LGBT community had experienced increased hostility “fuelled by state law and the rhetoric around it”.
After news of Nex’s death spread, vigils honoring them were held in more than a dozen US cities.
