Officials release further comments after death of Owasso High School student sparks national attention

(OWASSO, Okla.) It’s been almost two weeks since the death of Dagny “Nex” Benedict, a 16-year old Owasso student who was beaten in a high school bathroom the day before they died. 

While both Benedict’s obituary and a GoFundMe set up for their funeral costs referring to Benedict as “she/her”, community members have come forth identifying Benedict as non-binary with “they/their” pronouns. VNN has chosen to refer to Benedict as the latter, due to the risk of misgendering the deceased. 

Questions remain about Benedict’s cause of death pending the medical examiner report, toxicology report and further investigation, but local officials offered more comments Tuesday as national attention surrounding the case continued to surge. 

Owasso Public Schools provided more information about the physical altercation that took place on February 7 at Owasso High School West Campus. The school district says the fight was broken up by other students and staff members in under two minutes and the students involved walked themselves to the assistant principal's office and the school nurse.

“All students involved were evaluated by a nurse and the school advised the parents of one student to visit a medical facility for additional examination,” the district said. 

The district also said physical altercations between students are unacceptable and those engaging in such action will receive disciplinary consequences including out of school suspension. 

Owasso Chief of Police Dan Yancey said they will do their best to discover the truth.

“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,” Yancey said. “Detectives 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.” 

Though Benedict was initially reported to be a Cherokee citizen, it was later confirmed their mother is a citizen of Choctaw Nation. Benedict is not a registered member of either tribe. 

“The loss of a child is always difficult for a community and a family to accept," Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (CNO) Chief Gary Batton said Wednesday. "Although Nex does not appear to be affiliated with our tribe, their mother, Sue Benedict, is a registered member. Nex’s death weighs heavily on the hearts of the Choctaw people. We pray Nex’s family and their loved ones will find comfort."

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. also weighed in on the tragedy and offered Cherokee Nation's support. 

“As parents, the First Lady and I are heartbroken,” Hoskin said. “As Chief, the health and welfare of all children within the Cherokee Nation Reservation is of concern. Upon searching our database, we have no indication that Nex was a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. However, Nex was a child living within our reservation and deserved love, support and to be kept safe.” 

Hoskin said as a partner with all law enforcement agencies across the reservation, he asked the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service to offer its support to the Owasso Police Department in investigating the case.

“The facts relating to Nex’s death are not yet fully clear,” Hoskin said. “We should take care to support law enforcement and other authorities as they investigate this matter. “However, the public sentiments expressed in response to Nex’s death move me to reaffirm a statement I made in January on the subject of celebrating diversity, equity, and inclusion in public education. ‘All children… benefit from learning in environments in which we celebrate diversity and recognize the dignity of everyone’s experience.’

Benedict was laid to rest on February 15. 

Freedom Oklahoma recommends the following 2SLGBTQ+ affirming crisis support organizations to those in need: Trans Lifeline (877-565-8860), the Trevor Project (call 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678-678), and the LGBT Hotline (888-843-4564).

This story has been updated to include new information from Choctaw Nation.

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