Oklahoma nonbinary teen's shocking death confirmed as suicide

A nonbinary teen from Oklahoma passed away the day after a fight in the school bathroom. However, the state's medical examiner said it was suicide.

It was 16-year-old student, Nex Benedict.

Being a transgender, Nex preferred they/them pronouns. According to Nex's family, they died on Feb 8.

They took two different medicines that can produce harm if consumed together, according to police. The police said the death seemed like suicide from the start, but they waited for the medical examiner's report.

On February 21, the Owasso Police Department shared initial findings from an autopsy report indicating that Nex's death was not caused by physical injuries. However, a few days later, a department spokesperson clarified that they had not ruled out the possibility that the fight might have played a role in or led to Nex's death.

The Owasso Police Department wrote in a Facebook post, “From the beginning of this investigation, Owasso Police observed many indications that this death was the result of suicide. However, investigators did not wish to confirm that information without the final results being presented by the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office.”

The day before Nex died, there was a fight in the girls' bathroom at Owasso High School. Nex was sent to the hospital by the nurse. Nex told the police that three girls were bothering them. So they threw water at them, and it led to the fight.

A police officer asked Nex why the girls were bothering them. Nex said, "Because of the way that we dress."

Nex's mum called for help when Nex was breathing strangely, eyes rolling back, and hands curled. This was the day after the fight.

The first report from the autopsy said that Nex didn't die because of the fight injuries.

Nex's death made people organise rallies and vigils across the US. They wanted to show support for the LGBTQ+ community and say that Nex's death shows the problems they still face.