Nex Benedict died by suicide a day after a fight with bullies at their high school, according to a medical examiner’s report released March 13.
The 16-year-old nonbinary student’s death has drawn international headlines for a month now, cited by the left as evidence of school harassment of LGBTQ students and cited by the right as evidence of the dangers of accepting transgender and nonbinary identities.
Nex Benedict
President Joe Biden released a statement from the White House: “Jill and I are heartbroken by the recent loss of Nex Benedict. Every young person deserves to have the fundamental right and freedom to be who they are and feel safe and supported at school and in their communities. Nex Benedict, a kid who just wanted to be accepted, should still be here with us today.
“Nonbinary and transgender people are some of the bravest Americans I know. But nobody should have to be brave just to be themselves. In memory of Nex, we must all recommit to our work to end discrimination and address the suicide crisis impacting too many nonbinary and transgender children.”
To this, conservative firebrand and conspiracy theorist Matt Walsh tweeted: “This man is a despicable soulless monster. Truly an evil scumbag who makes the country a worse place every day. Nex Benedict’s death had absolutely nothing to do with ‘discrimination.’ That was a completely invented false narrative that has been definitively debunked. Yet this decaying goblin promotes it anyway. Meanwhile he can’t even bring himself to say Laken Riley’s name correctly. What an absolute hunk of moldy garbage this man is.”
Laken Riley is the 22-year-old Georgia nursing student allegedly murdered by an undocumented immigrant. She has become the cause célèbre of the political right as evidence of their claim that criminal immigrants are overrunning the southern border. U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene taunted Biden at the State of the Union address to “say her name.”
Oklahoma’s conservative state superintendent of education, Ryan Walters, also challenged Biden on X: “Quit playing politics. @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris have chosen to embrace the lies of the most radical groups in their party. Their party has found a new low of exploiting a child’s death.”
He also issued an official statement: “The loss of our student in Owasso is tragic for the family, the community, and our state. The LGBTQ groups pushing a false narrative are one of the biggest threats to our democracy and I remain, more than ever, committed to never backing down from a woke mob.”
To these and others on the right denying the reality of Benedict being bullied or of the bullying playing a role in the subsequent death, progressive Christian author and activist John Pavlovitz responded: “The lack of decency and compassion for Nex Benedict, a teenager bullied relentlessly and beaten and left unprotected by their school so much that they wanted to leave this life — shows the dead hearts of you moronic MAGA sociopaths. You’ve lost the plot to humanity. Grow a soul.”
According to statements from the Owasso, Okla., public schools and the Owasso Police Department, Benedict died from an overdose of two common medications — one available over the counter and one available by prescription to treat depression.
The Owasso Police Department posted on Facebook: “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.”
On social media, some who believe Benedict’s death must have been caused by latent trauma from the alleged beating in a school restroom the day before expressed disbelief that a combination of these two drugs could cause death. They suspect a coverup.
Meanwhile, some on the right have speculated the death must have been caused by puberty-blocking medications — even though such medications have not been mentioned by officials. They also suspect a coverup.
The Benedict family released a statement through a law firm saying they don’t want the suicide ruling to overshadow other findings by the medical examiner, including contusions, lacerations and abrasions on Benedict’s head and neck.
“Rather than allow incomplete accounts to take hold and spread any further, the Benedicts feel compelled to provide a summary of those findings which have not yet been released by the Medical Examiner’s Office, particularly those that contradict allegations of the assault on Nex being insignificant. As outlined in the full report, the medical examiner found numerous areas of physical trauma over Nex’s body that evidence the severity of the assault.”
The statement quotes the medical examiner’s report to list two contusions on the head in the right orbital region; right scleral hemorrhage; two lacerations (l/4 inch, each), right cheek and right external ear; two abrasions, right external ear and left cheek. It also lists scalp and subgalea hemorrhages; scattered asynchronous abrasions and contusions; and multiple healing linear injuries and scars on the posterior left hand.
The family also called on “our schools, administrators, lawmakers and communities to come together to prevent any other family from having to suffer through the heartache now borne by Nex’s loved ones. Reforms creating school environments that are built upon the pillars of respect, inclusion and grace, and aim to eliminate bullying and hate, are the types of change that all involved should be able to rally behind.”
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