A medical examiner's report concluded that the cause of death of Oklahoma student Nex Benedict (he/they) was suicide, media reports confirmed.
Benedict—a 16-year-old transgender student—died Feb. 8, a day after a fight at Owasso High School. According to NBC News, his name became a rallying cry among LGBTQ+-rights activists who contend that a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation has made schools less safe for queer and trans students.
The Owasso Police Department released preliminary information from an autopsy report on Feb. 21 that they said showed Benedict's death was not the result of trauma. Days later, a department spokesperson clarified that the fight had not been ruled out as being a contributing factor regarding his death.
The medical examiner's report listed the probable cause of death as the "combined toxicity" from two drugs—one of which is available over the counter and the other by prescription.
Earlier this month, the Department of Education—prompted by a letter from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC)—opened an investigation into whether Benedict's high school failed to appropriately respond to sex-based harassment. "Nex was failed by so many and should still be here today," HRC President Kelley Robinson said in a statement. "We hold their family in our hearts as they grapple with the devastating reality that their beloved child, a teen with a bright future, is no longer making this world a brighter place."
—Andrew Davis