Nex Benedict’s death ruled a suicide in medical examiner’s report

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma nonbinary student Nex Benedict, whose death sparked nationwide outrage over anti-LGBTQ+ bullying, died by suicide, according to a state Medical Examiner’s report released Wednesday.

Benedict, 16, died Feb. 8, a day after getting in a fight in a girl’s bathroom at Owasso High School in a suburb north of Tulsa. The student’s family has said Benedict used they/them pronouns and did not identify as strictly male or female.

Benedict’s cause of death was from consuming medication, according to the medical examiner.

Transgender youth face a considerably higher rate of suicidal thoughts and attempts, and school belonging is a statistically significant factor to that risk, a 2020 study found.

Benedict visited a hospital after the fight, where they informed a police officer the conflict began because other students were making fun of Benedict and their friends, according to body camera footage Owasso police released.

“They were talking about us in front of us, and so I went up there and poured water on them,” Benedict said. “They came at me. They grabbed onto my hair. I grabbed onto them.”

The student’s mother called 911 the next day to report Benedict was having a medical emergency. They were later pronounced dead at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa.

Vigils honoring Benedict took place across the country, as the events leading up to their death prompted anger and devastation nationwide.

One in 5 transgender and nonbinary people age 13-24 attempted suicide in the past year, almost twice the rate of cisgender youth, according to a 2023 national youth survey by the Trevor Project.

“LGBTQ young people are not inherently prone to suicide risk because of their sexual orientation or gender identity but rather placed at higher risk because of how they are mistreated and stigmatized in society,” the organization said in the survey results.

Anti-transgender legislation and rhetoric is further contributing to increased suicide and bullying risks among transgender youth, said Nicole McAfee, executive director of the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Freedom Oklahoma.

Republican-run states throughout the U.S. have pushed to ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors. In Oklahoma, Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt signed bills that prevent transgender children from using school bathrooms that match their gender identity and prohibit transgender girls and women from playing on female sports teams.

Nonbinary student’s death prompts anger at Oklahoma state board meeting

Rep. Mauree Turner, D-Oklahoma City, who is nonbinary, said news that Benedict died of suicide was “jarring.”

Turner, who uses they/them pronouns, said Oklahoma saw a 300% increase in mental health hotline calls following Benedict’s death last month.

Rural Pride Oklahoma plans to host a rally from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday at the state Capitol, they said.

“I’d encourage folks to come out to the rally because I think, for me, what I tend to do in moments of deep despair is isolate,” Turner said. “And I think it’s evident that community is what we need right now. Isolation is a tool of oppression. And I think that’s what folks in the Legislature want. So I think showing up in an act of solidarity not only for Nex but also for ourselves is really important too.”

The loss of Benedict is “devastating,” Owasso Public Schools Superintendent Margaret Coates said in a statement. The school district has counselors available for students who wish to speak with one, she said.

The U.S. Department of Education’s civil rights office launched an investigation into the Owasso school district following Benedict’s death.

The student’s family also has been independently investigating, attorneys representing the family said in a Feb. 21 statement.

“The Benedicts know all too well the devastating effects of bullying and school violence, and pray for meaningful change wherein bullying is taken seriously and no family has to deal with another preventable tragedy,” the statement from Biby Law Firm reads.

The law firm didn’t immediately return a request for comment Wednesday.

Injuries from the fight were not part of the cause of death, the medical report shows.

Police observed “many indicators” the student died by suicide but did not wish to confirm it without a medical examiner’s report, the Owasso Police Department stated  said after the cause of death was released Wednesday.

A more detailed medical report will be available March 27, the medical examiner’s office said.

Editor Janelle Stecklein contributed to this report.