A tragic Oklahoma teen who died the day after a fight inside a school bathroom sent a series of emails to her family describing the beating, according to a report.
Nex Benedict, 16, who was non-binary, sent a message to an unidentified relative about the attack by a group of girls, her grandmother said.
“I got jumped at school and had to go to the ER 3-1,” the boy wrote on February 7th. According to Fox 23.
Benedict said at the time that the damage was manageable.
When asked if he was okay, the second-grader replied, “I’m fine, just some scrapes and bruises.” “I got a shot in my butt for pain relief, but in the morning I still feel dizzy and nauseous. I might get a concussion.”
When asked what sparked the conflict, Benedict cited harassment at school.
“They were bullying me and my friends and I got fed up so I poured water on them and all three of them came after me. The school didn’t report it so they’ll probably get sued.” the text continued.
Benedict was discharged from the hospital the same day, but collapsed the next morning and was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
The Owasso High School sophomore had been repeatedly bullied because of her gender identity before the bathroom attack, her grandmother said.
“We didn’t realize how bad the situation was,” Bendict’s mother told the magazine.
The school and local police have not yet determined whether Benedict’s death was a direct result of the fight or an unrelated condition.
The mother of Benedict’s friend, who was also involved in the scuffle, said her attackers were “hitting her head on the floor”.
After the story broke on Tuesday, the school issued a statement saying the fight lasted two minutes and that it was broken up by a student and a teacher.
The release also refuted reports that Benedict was unable to walk to the principal’s office after the scuffle.
The school district said parents of the students involved were “notified and advised of their option to report to police.”
Benedict’s relatives said they were the first to contact police after Benedict was taken to the emergency room, but the school did not contact law enforcement.
Owasso police said the incident is still under investigation.
“There were no reports of the incident to the Owasso Police Department prior to the hospital being notified,” the department said in a statement.
Benedict’s friends and family, who are all heartbroken, said the teenager was a good student, an animal lover and an avid cook.
A wake to commemorate Benedict’s life is planned for Sunday.
A GoFundMe for the teen’s family had raised more than $60,000 as of Wednesday.
Benedict’s grandmother, Sue Benedict, wrote a note on the page this week apologizing for not using Benedict’s preferred pronouns when speaking to reporters.
“Please don’t judge us like Nex was judged. Please don’t bully us for our ignorance on this issue,” she wrote.
“Nex showed us such respect and I’m sorry we missed them. The headstone will remain because we lost a child.” [the] The correct name they chose. ”
