A 16-year-old Oklahoma high school student who died a day after an altercation in a school restroom that may have been prompted by bullying over gender identity did not die as a result of injuries sustained in the fight, police said Wednesday.Nex Benedict poses outside their family's home in Owasso, Okla., in December 2023.
Neither police nor school officials have said what led to the fight. But Benedict's family says there had been harassment because of the teen's nonbinary identity. Nex Benedict's mother, Sue Benedict, told The Independent the teen suffered bruises all over their face and eyes after they and a transgender student got into a fight in a school restroom with three older girls.Malia Pila, Nex Benedict's sister, described her sibling as a "wonderful child that impacted all of us in ways that are difficult to truly articulate in their importance."
Owasso police said in a statement on Tuesday that Nex Benedict died on Feb. 8, the day after the fight at the high school. Boatman said investigators will forward the results of that probe to the local district attorney to determine what, if any, charges should be filed. Police said they were not notified of the fight until the student arrived at the hospital, and that a report was taken at that time.