Non-binary student dies from severe head injuries after being attacked in school toilet

A non-binary student from Oklahoma has died from severe head injuries the day after being attacked in a girls toilet at their school, their mother had said.

Nex Benedict, 16, died one day after the “physical altercation” at Owasso High School on 7 February, Owasso Police Department have confirmed.

Nex, who used they/them pronouns, told their mother Sue Benedict that they and a trans student had been in a fight with three older girls.

“I didn’t know how bad it had gotten” – Nex’s mother, Sue

Nex claimed they were knocked to the ground and hit their head during the fight, Sue Benedict – Nex’s biological grandmother and legal guardian – told The Independent yesterday (20 February 2024).

The outlet describes the student as gender-fluid and transgender.

Nex’s mother says she was called to the school and found bruises and cuts on Nex’s head, and was furious to find the school hadn’t called an ambulance or the police.

Nex, who loved Minecraft and ARK, was eventually treated at Bailey Medical Center before they died.

“Nex did not see themselves as male or female,” the mother explained. “Nex saw themselves right down the middle. I was still learning about it, Nex was teaching me that.”

Nex had been bullied from the beginning of the 2023 academic year, their mother said – shortly after Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt formalised a bill requiring students to use toilets matching the gender on their birth certificates.

“I said ‘you’ve got to be strong and look the other way, because these people don’t know who you are’,” the mother said of their advice to Nex about the bullying. “I didn’t know how bad it had gotten.”

The Owasso Police Department said in a statement that they were “conducting a very active and thorough investigation of the time and events that led up to the death of the student.”

Owasso PD rep Nick Boatman also told The Independent that “all charges will be on the table” and that detectives would interview school staff and students and then submit their investigation to the Tulsa Country District Attorney’s Office for review.

Local TV station Fox23 have published texts sent by Nex to their family in which the teen alleged they “got jumped at school. 3 on 1, had to go to the ER. They 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. School did not report to police.”

Owasso Police Department investigation update

‘On February 7th, 2024, at approximately 3:30 p.m., the Owasso Police Department was summoned to a local hospital in reference to a report of a student who had been involved in a physical altercation at the Owasso High School prior to the end of school that day. No report of the incident was made to the Owasso Police Department prior to the notification at the hospital. Information was taken by a School Resource Officer who responded to the hospital. On February 8th, 2024, the Owasso Police Department was made aware that the juvenile was rushed back to a hospital where the student was pronounced dead. It is not known at this time if the death is related to the incident at the school or not. A thorough investigation is being conducted by Owasso Police Detectives who are currently awaiting an autopsy report and toxicology results.

‘There are laws regarding open records and confidential records and the Owasso Police Department will release all information required by law, but it is the Department’s policy to not release incident reports for cases that are under active investigation when there is risk of compromising or harming the investigation. We understand that people are concerned about this incident and we can assure everyone that this incident is being taken seriously and is being investigated thoroughly. Detectives have, are and will be interviewing school staff and students over the course of the next two weeks and in turn will be submitting our investigation to the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution review.

‘A final cause and manner of death will be determined by the State Medical Examiner’s Office.

‘The Owasso Police Department offers our condolences to the family, friends, fellow students, and loved ones of the deceased student and we will do our best to discover the truth.’