Full autopsy of transgender Oklahoma teen Nex Benedict released
Transgender Oklahoma student Nex Benedict left handwritten notes “suggestive of self-harm," according to a full autopsy report released Wednesday.
Transgender Oklahoma student Nex Benedict, who died last month the day after a fight at school, left handwritten notes “suggestive of self-harm” that were found by his family and provided to police, according to a full autopsy report released Wednesday.
The Oklahoma medical examiner’s office ruled Benedict’s death a suicide in a preliminary summary report released on March 13. The report listed a probable cause of death as “combined toxicity” from two drugs, one of which is available over the counter and the other by prescription. However, it didn’t provide any additional details regarding why the medical examiner believed the overdose was suicide.
The full autopsy report notes that Benedict was involved in a physical altercation and had injuries to his head, neck, torso and limbs. These injuries, it found, were not lethal.
The medical examiner also noted that Benedict’s medical history included bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, self-harm, and chronic tobacco and marijuana abuse.
Benedict, who was transgender and used he and they pronouns, according to friends and family, died Feb. 8, a day after a fight at Owasso High School. Benedict had reportedly told his mother that he was bullied at school due to his gender identity. Body camera footage released by police last month shows Benedict lying in a hospital bed following the fight. In the video, he tells a police officer that three students “jumped” him after he threw water on one of them because they were bullying him and his friend for the way that they dressed.
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