US teen Nex Benedict's death ruled a suicide

A 16-year-old from Oklahoma whose death in February was the subject of attention across the US died by suicide, a medical examiner has said.

Benedict was non-binary and used they/them pronouns.

Their death one day after a fight in a school toilet prompted protests and vigils across the country.

The cause of death was revealed in a partial autopsy report released on Wednesday by Oklahoma's chief medical examiner.

The medical examiner said Benedict died from taking a combination of medications.

Authorities said Benedict was involved in a "physical altercation" in a toilet at Owasso High School on 7 February, the day before they died.

The brief fight was broken up by other students and a school staff member, police and the school said.

Police in Owasso, a suburb of Tulsa, said in February that the teenager "did not die as a result of trauma" after details emerged about the encounter at school.

In a new statement on Wednesday, police said they had suspected suicide throughout the course of their investigation but waited to make a definitive statement until the autopsy report was released.

A complete autopsy will be released in 10 days.

After the 7 February fight, the school did not call an ambulance, but its nurse recommended that Benedict undergo further medical checks "out of an abundance of caution".

Benedict had said they and their group were picked on before the fight "because of the way that we dress".

Emergency services were called to Benedict's home the following day, 8 February, after the student's mother reported her child's breathing was shallow and their eyes were rolling back.

Paramedics performed CPR before rushing Benedict to hospital, where the teenager died.

The school district did not confirm if Benedict was bullied for their gender identity, but said the death of a student was "devastating", and that it was committed to a "safe and inclusive environment for all students".

It added: "We take reports of bullying very seriously and have policies and procedures in place to address such behaviour."

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said on Wednesday his "heart is broken" over Benedict's death.

"The Medical Examiner's finding of suicide makes me even more concerned that bullying played a role in this terrible loss," he wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Last month, in the wake of Benedict's death, advocacy group Freedom Oklahoma said members of the LGBT community had been receiving increased hostility "fuelled by state law and the rhetoric around it".

Campaigners have criticised laws in Oklahoma which ban students from using school toilets and changing rooms that do not align with their sex at birth.

After news of their death spread, vigils honouring Benedict were held in more than a dozen US cities.