Nex Benedict, 16, who identified as non-binary, He died on February 8 in Oklahoma, a day after getting into a fight in his school bathroom. which could have been caused by harassment about their gender identity.
Although his relatives reported that his death could have been caused by injuries sustained during the beating, Owasso police reported Wednesday that The preliminary autopsy report by the medical examiner’s office indicated the teen did not die from trauma.
“At this time, any additional comment on the cause of death is pending pending toxicology results and other ancillary tests. The official autopsy report will be available at a later date,” police said.
Tulsa area police and school have not said what led to the fight, but The family claimed there was harassment because of the teen’s non-binary identity.
“While at Owasso High School, Nex was attacked and assaulted in a bathroom by a group of other students,” the family said Wednesday through their legal team.
“A day later, the Benedicts’ beautiful son lost his life,” he added.
An investigation into the fight is underway and police said they would turn the findings over to the district attorney’s office to determine if charges are warranted.
Benedict managed to escape the bathroom fight on February 7. However, Nex’s family took him to the hospital and then returned home that night.
The next day, Nex suffered a “medical emergency” and died after arriving at the hospital.the police said.
Sue Benedict, Nex’s guardian and grandmother, told The Independent newspaper that Nex was brutally beaten during a fight with three older girls in a school bathroom and hit his head on the ground. Benedict claimed Nex had been a victim of bullying at school, but added: “I didn’t know how bad she had gotten.”
Benedict texted a family member about the fight, according to a Fox 23 report.
“They attacked me at school. 3 against 1, I had to go to the emergency room,” the message said.
The text message exchange said the girls involved in the fight “had been harassing me and my friends and I got tired, so I poured some water on them and the three of them went after me.”
In the exchange, Nex said he had bruises from the fight and had been given painkillers. He also wrote: “If I still feel dizzy and nauseous in the morning, I may have a concussion.”
The Owasso School District said Tuesday that they cannot share all the details about the incident, but confirmed that a “physical altercation occurred in a bathroom” that was broken up by other students and a staff member.
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