Oklahoma nonbinary student 'did not die as a result of trauma' after bathroom fight, police say

"The official autopsy report will be available at a later date," police said.

Published: February 22, 2024 2:01pm

Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old nonbinary Oklahoma high school student, did not die from trauma after being beaten in a school bathroom the previous day, officials said. 

An autopsy was performed after Benedict's death on Feb. 8, and preliminary information from the medical examiner’s office "indicated that the decedent did not die as a result of trauma," Oklahoma's Owasso Police Department, which is investigating the case, said Wednesday.

"At this time, any further comments on the cause of death are currently pending until toxicology results and other ancillary testing results are received," officials also said. "The official autopsy report will be available at a later date."

 

The family's legal team said Wednesday, "While at Owasso High School, Nex was attacked and assaulted in a bathroom by a group of other students," according to the New York Post.

The teen had texted a relative after the incident the evening before dying.

"All good, just scraps and bruises," Benedict texted after being taken to the emergency room. 

Describing the incident, Benedict wrote that the students "had been bullying me and my friends and I got tired of it so I poured some water on them and all 3 came after me."

Follow Madeleine Hubbard on X or Instagram.

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