OK: Death of nonbinary teen Nex Benedict after school fight is ruled a suicide
Published Date: 3/14/2024
Source: WRAL
The death of a nonbinary student the day after a fight inside an Oklahoma high school restroom has been ruled a suicide, the state medical examiner's office said Wednesday. A summary autopsy report was released more than a month after the death of 16-year-old Nex Benedict, a student at Owasso High School. Family members said Benedict had been bullied at school and the teenager's death in February drew concern from LGBTQ+ rights groups, as well as attention from Oklahoma's governor and the White House. In a 911 call on Feb. 8, Sue Benedict — the teen's grandmother and legal guardian — had expressed concern about a head injury. The teenager was conscious and alert after the fight a day earlier when they told police about the attack by three girls that occurred after the teen squirted them with water, according to police video released last month. The report shows Benedict had toxic levels of two drugs in their system and died of an overdose. A complete autopsy will be released in 10 days in accordance with state law, the medical examiner's office said. Boatman would not confirm whether or not police found a note from Benedict at the scene. A lawyer for the Benedict family, Jacob Biby, told The Associated Press that he was working on a statement from the family Wednesday but declined to comment further. In video footage from the hospital the day of the altercation, Benedict explains to an officer that the girls had been picking on them and their friends because of the way they dressed. Benedict claims that in the bathroom the students said “something like: why do they laugh like that,” referring to Benedict and their friends.(Credit: KJRH via CNN Newsource) Full Story: https://www.wral.com/story/death-of-nonbinary-teen-nex-benedict-after-fight-ruled-a-suicide-oklahoma-medical-examiner-says/21327794/ Subscribe to WRAL: https://youtube.com/c/wral5 News Tips: Online - https://www.wral.com/report-it/ Email - [email protected] Follow WRAL: Facebook: https://facebook.com/WRALTV X: https://twitter.com/WRAL IG: https://instagram.com/wral About WRAL-TV: WRAL is your Raleigh, North Carolina news source. Check out our videos for the latest news in Raleigh, local sports, Raleigh weather, and more at https://WRAL.com #localnews #oklahoma #lgbtq