The preliminary toxicology report of the Oklahoma Medical Examiner on the death of Dagny Nex Benedict, a teenager who died last month, has been published. The death of the teenager had been the focus of LGBTQ activists who wanted to make the youth a martyr. The vigils that were held all over the country showed this, as a clear attempt at turning the incident into a motivational event. As I reported a few months ago, the call to action was met with inertia, as numerous facts emerged that slowed down much of the outrage.

More specifics are now being reported and the activist narrative has changed once again. The toxicology report released today confirms what many suspected: Benedict died of an overdose from a combination of Benadryl, Prozac, and other drugs. It was ruled a suicide.

It is tragic when a young person dies, but the tragedy is compounded if that death becomes a political and social cause. The death of Georgia Laken Riley is an example of this. While the cause of death being caused by an illegal alien is a legitimate concern, the broader political points that are to be made tend to become unseemly. It is not the case that an illegal was repeatedly released by the authorities, but rather the fact that she is being used as a slogan for a political campaign.

The Dagny and Nex Benedict deaths have certainly sparked an activism campaign, but the use of the event was even more tasteless. Initial claims and accusations led to a flurry of accusations against school officials, authorities in the state, and even Libs of TikTok. As the facts were revealed, the finger-pointing and shrill charges failed to gain traction.

As the story developed, those who didn’t want to wait to hear all the details were slowed down by their arrival. Some of the claims were that Benedict was rendered unconscious, that the fight had been a hate crime, and that the death happened in the hospital due to the attack. As the details of the incident emerged, the talking points began to change.

Journalism should not be a university degree. It belongs in career colleges with apprenticeships. https://t.co/0aW27LWFWB

— Adam Kissel (@kissel_adam) March 13, 2024

• School officials changed the story about Benedict’s absence of blacking out.
• Benedict did not fall but suffered internal injuries
• The emergency crews were called because Benedict had internal injuries.
• The first ME report that showed a lack of blunt-force trauma is a cover-up by the authorities.

As soon as it was known that a toxicology study would be needed to determine the cause of death, activists began to change their narratives. With these new details, it is expected that the suicide was caused by the bullying Benedict endured because he belongs to the LGBTQ community.

I want to be crystal clear here: a trans kid was jumped in a school bathroom and beaten unconscious, and the school responded by suspending him and sending him home. Deaths of despair are not blameless. Our children deserve to believe in a future.

— Ari Drennen (@AriDrennen) March 13, 2024

Nex, who self-identifies as non-binary and not trans, is a good example of this. Nex’s refusal to call him “him” was countered with the claim that he is non-binary. The police video of the hospital visit also showed Benedict being called “she” both by the police and by his grandmother without any pushback.

The story of this fight at the school has been distorted with so many details. The security video shows Benedict in good health immediately after the fight. Nex confessed to having started the fight during the police interview. Nex revealed that he did not know the other participants in the fight, which contradicted the claims of bullying. In the interview, Benedict was in good spirits and did not show signs of physical trauma. The day after the fight emergency crews were sent to the house, suggesting that the situation of the student may have changed.

We now know of another inadmissible detail. We are surprised at how little energy the media has shown in pursuing the original story. Corrections are weak, apologies scarce, and there is no admission that the initial story was based on false assumptions.

All the while, the accusations flew and it seemed that a social war was inevitable, but the conflicting facts slowed the process down. We now know that suicide is the cause of death, and the narrative has shifted. But the outrage remains.