The curious case of Dagney Ellis Benedict
Dagney Benedict does deserve justice, but it won't be trans activists who'll win it for her. In fact, by distorting the truth about what happened to her, they've perpetuated the gravest injustice.
“Say her name” was once the slogan of the liberal left who decried the death of Chicago civil rights activist, Sandra Bland, in 2015. Regarding the case of Dagney Ellis Benedict, 16, their central mission this time, in influencing the media frenzy that surrounded this story, has apparently been, “Don’t say her name!”
Dagney — who attended Owasso High School in Owasso, Oklahoma — suffered from acute mental health issues. As we’ve come to learn from her mother, and an Oklahoma medical examiner’s report that was made public only yesterday, Benedict was prescribed several heavy antipsychotic medications whose side effects include suicidality, erratic behavior, accompanied by intense mood-swings, especially in adolescents. She died from an overdose of diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and fluoxetine (Prozac). Together, they’re a deadly cocktail. According to her mother, she also took quetiapine (Seroquel).
During the 911 call that her mother made when she began convulsing and seizing in their home on February 8, having been suspended from school, Sue Benedict told the operator that her “daughter” suffered from “mood-swings” and “anxiety.”
Like many youths who suffer from psychological abnormalities, and also ingest prescribed antipsychotics, Dagney Benedict regarded herself to be ‘transexual’ or ‘nonbinary’, and therefore requested people refer to her as ‘Nex’. The entirety of established news media, online media, respected periodicals and journals, even the White House, first and foremost insisted that everybody refer to Dagney as ‘Nex’ and by her “preferred pronouns” of ‘he/him’ or ‘they/them’. Of course, this mandatory and compulsory conscription into ‘trans’ lingo was accompanied by being made to swallow the official narrative that “violence/bullying against ‘trans’ people” had occurred and resulted in Dagney Benedict’s death.
A letter from the ‘Human Rights Campaign’ triggered a federal investigation into Owasso Public Schools, alleging that they failed to address reports of bullying and “sex-based harassment.” However, those arguments were refuted by Dagney’s mother, Sue, who told Owasso police at Bailey Hospital that they did not report alleged bullying to the school, upon her hearing of it from her daughter. When asked why she didn’t notify school officials, the Oklahoma youth replied, “I didn’t really see the point in it. But I told my mom, though.”
Mother, Sue Benedict, didn’t report bullying or harassment to the school either.
The opportunistic distraction of ‘anti-trans violence’ was made possible by the fact that Dagney was involved in a physical fight at school the day before she committed suicide. As we’ve learned from video footage released by the school, as well as her own videotaped confession to the Owasso police department, the 16-year-old filled up a bottle of water outside the girl’s bathroom in the cafeteria, before walking inside, which she then admittedly emptied on the other girls, who Dagney alleges were “talking about” and “laughing” at her and her friends, supposedly because of the way they “dressed.” A brief fight ensued.
According to Dagney Benedict herself, “After we set chairs, we went to the bathroom. I was talking to my friends; they were talking to their friends. We were laughing and they had said something like, ‘Why do they laugh like that?’ They were talking about us, in front of us. So, I went up there and I poured water on them. And then all three of them came at me.” But what little Benedict didn’t tell police was that she had followed the girls she would assault into the bathroom.
As seen in the video released by Owasso police, the “fight” did not even last a minute, as a staff member can be seen rushing into the restroom just moments after Benedict’s entry. All parties walked out of the bathroom, away from the scene, including Benedict, who was then seen escorted out of the school by a police officer who handed her over to her mother. It was after leaving the high school, at Bailey Medical Center, that Dagney’s mother summoned police.
According to Owasso police, all were examined by the school nurse who deemed that an ambulance wasn’t necessary. Despite all this countervailing evidence, trans-aligned activists and writers kept repeating the insinuation that Benedict’s death was somehow the result of the physical altercation that she herself started, a fact, by the way, which they failed to mention without exception.
As it became more and more apparent that Benedict killed herself, the trans propagandists began changing their tune, arguing that the “violence” against her was what drove her to suicide in the first place, again, failing to at all mention that Benedict started the fight to begin with.
Once at the hospital, Dagney’s mother tried dominating the conversation with the police officer, towards the beginning of the incident report. But he cut her off and affirmed that he wanted to hear from Dagney. The teen then tried portraying herself as the victim. She began by saying, “I got jumped.” However, she referenced to the officer getting recently caught with a ‘vape’ at school, adding that those same people were involved in this dispute. After probing Benedict, she confessed to assaulting the girls by throwing water on them.
Not a single article with a pro - ‘trans’ slant even mentioned Benedict’s drug use, either elicit or prescribed. Far from acting like a victim, she seemed to brag about getting a few moves in herself:
“They came at me. They grabbed me by my hair. I grabbed on to one of them. I threw one of them into a paper towel dispenser. And then they got my legs out from under me and got me on the ground and started beating the shit out of me. And then my friends tried to jump in and help but I’m not sure. I blacked out,” Benedict explained to the Owasso police officer dispatched to the hospital.
Once Dagney Benedict finished explaining her side of things, the officer informed the mother and daughter that the juvenile’s actions constituted assault and battery, even if all she threw at the girls was “just water” and asked her if she still wished to press charges, warning that if she went down that path, it would open up her daughter to potential criminal charges, given her confession, which would likely be corroborated by the “other parties” he planned on speaking to.
“Running the mouth is freedom of speech,” Officer Thompson said. “You can say mean, hurtful things all day long, and you got to let it roll off your shoulder. The moment somebody retaliates or does something physically, or a directive threat verbally, now you have something. Throwing that water on there, just because it’s water, doesn’t make it any better. It could have been urine. It could have been paint. It could have been anything,” he explained, adding that she was not, “a true victim.”
Although the officer clarified that Benedict throwing water at the other girls didn’t necessarily justify beating her up, he nevertheless stated:
“I will also tell you, though, like the old saying — “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander” — meaning, the way the courts are going to look at it is, it’s a mutual fight. Okay? So, both parties are victims. But both parties are also suspects in this. You get what I’m saying?”
“Yeah,” Benedict answered.
The mother would ultimately decide to not press charges, having been shown by Owasso police that her daughter was not as innocent as she thought.
The next day, Sue Benedict dialed emergency services at approximately 1 p.m. reporting that something was wrong with her daughter, explaining that she fell to the ground, started “posturing” her hands and rolling back her eyes. Again, despite the fact that the phone call suggested an overdose, especially when the mother admitted (after probing) that her daughter took antipsychotics, cynical and demagogic actors continued arguing that “anti-trans violence” killed her. The mother would go back to the school incident, prompting the operator to say:
“Okay. This is information I don’t need. I need to know she’s breathing okay, and stuff like that. About yesterday, that doesn’t matter to me.”
When it came to things the 911 operator asked Sue Benedict about, she didn’t give direct answers. When asked if her daughter took any medications, Benedict replied, “No. She does at night, yes. But she hasn’t had none today.” The operator then asks, “Okay. And does she take any illegal drugs? Not that I care, I just need to know.” “No. No, she does not,” Benedict says.
“Okay. She doesn’t smoke or vape, or any of that stuff,” the operator presses on. “Umm, she has vaped, yes.” “Okay, does she ever get a hold of a vape that has anything in it,” the operator continues. “No, she does not,” Benedict replies. “Okay, but she is breathing. We don’t need to start CPR,” the operator asks. “That’s just my main concern right now.” “Oh no, I would’ve done that already. I was a nurse. I went to nursing school,” the mother says.
The medics arrived, taking Dagney Benedict to St. Francis Children’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at the age of 16.
Who/what is responsible for Dagney Benedict’s death?
Dagney Benedict was an afflicted youth. She faced psychological issues and found herself in the den of profit-hungry pharmaceutical companies who cherish their steady client base of young people. One of the drugs listed by the youth’s mother was Seroquel, whose generic form is known as ‘Quetiapine.’
According to Statista.com:
“In 2021, Seroquel generated 92 million U.S. dollars of revenue. This statistic describes AstraZeneca's revenue from one of its top products, Seroquel, between 2006 and 2021. AstraZeneca plc is one of the top 15 pharmaceutical companies worldwide…In 2011, revenue from Seroquel amounted to around 5.83 billion…”
I researched the drugs Dagney was prescribed before her official cause of death was released, just hours ago. But just from reading the warnings attached to the drug profiles, the conclusion that her death was caused by suicide was obvious.
Quetiapine/Seroquel, if anything, “induces” psychosis rather than counteract or alleviate it. Its drug profile on the government’s website contains an “important warning:”
“A small number of children, teenagers, and young adults (up to 24 years of age) who took medications for depression during clinical studies became suicidal (thinking about harming or killing oneself or planning or trying to do so). Children, teenagers, and young adults who take antidepressants to treat depression or other mental illnesses may be more likely to become suicidal than children, teenagers, and young adults who do not take antidepressants to treat these conditions. However, experts are not sure about how great this risk is and how much it should be considered in deciding whether a child or teenager should take an antidepressant. Children younger than 10 years of age should not normally take quetiapine, but in some cases, a doctor may decide that quetiapine is the best medication to treat a child's condition.”
This dangerous medication, we see, is being given to children as young as ten. They say, “experts are not sure about how great this risk is and how much it should be considered in deciding whether a child or teenager should take an antidepressant”, but Dagney Benedict’s case-study is sure to shed light on this ‘mystery’.
They add:
“You should know that your mental health may change in unexpected ways when you take quetiapine or other antidepressants even if you are an adult over age 24. You may become suicidal, especially at the beginning of your treatment and any time that your dose is increased or decreased. You, your family, or your caregiver should call your doctor right away if you experience any of the following symptoms: new or worsening depression; thinking about harming or killing yourself, or planning or trying to do so; extreme worry; agitation; panic attacks; difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep; aggressive behavior; irritability; acting without thinking; severe restlessness; and frenzied abnormal excitement. Be sure that your family or caregiver knows which symptoms may be serious so they can call the doctor when you are unable to seek treatment on your own.”
Remind you of anyone?
The warning label ends by reiterating yet again, for a third time, the danger of suicidality when taking the drug, as if it couldn’t be clearer:
“You should know that having depression or another mental illness greatly increases the risk that you will become suicidal. This risk is higher if you or anyone in your family has or has ever had bipolar disorder (mood that changes from depressed to abnormally excited) or mania (frenzied, abnormally excited mood) or has thought about or attempted suicide.”
It’s highly likely that Dagney’s mother, Sue Benedict, is also mentally ill and on medications herself.
The section of the drug profile on the gov website specifying its uses says:
“Quetiapine tablets…are used to treat the symptoms of schizophrenia (a mental illness that causes disturbed or unusual thinking, loss of interest in life, and strong or inappropriate emotions). Quetiapine tablets…are also used alone or with other medications to treat episodes of mania (frenzied, abnormally excited or irritated mood) or depression in patients with bipolar disorder (manic depressive disorder; a disease that causes episodes of depression, episodes of mania, and other abnormal moods).”
They conclude:
“In addition, quetiapine tablets…are used with other medications to prevent episodes of mania or depression in patients with bipolar disorder. Quetiapine extended-release tablets are also used along with other medications to treat depression. Quetiapine tablets may be used as part of a treatment program to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia in children and teenagers. Quetiapine is in a class of medications called atypical antipsychotics. It works by changing the activity of certain natural substances in the brain.”
Indeed. Another side-effect is seizures.
Fluoxetine, the first drug mentioned by Sue Benedict and one of the causes of death in the autopsy, is what’s known as an S.S.R.I. — selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, which also alters ‘certain natural substances of the brain,’ as the above profile puts it. Even the National Institutes of Health (NIH) had to admit:
“However, some evidence suggests that Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors [SSRIs] may cause worsening of suicidal ideas in vulnerable patients. Systematic reviews and pooled analysis of experimental, observational, and epidemiological studies have investigated the use of SSRIs and their association with suicidality. Taking account of the methodological limitations of these studies, the current evidence fails to provide a clear relationship between their use and risk of suicidality in adults. However, in children and adolescents, there appears to be a bit of increased risk of suicidal ideations and attempts, but not of completed suicides. [emphasis my own]”
Only “a bit”? They conclude:
“This risk can be anticipated and managed clinically. Clinicians are, therefore, advised to maintain a close follow-up during the initial treatment periods and remain vigilant of this risk. This advisory, however, should not deter clinicians from the use of effective dosages of antidepressants for a sufficient period of time, in every age group of patients, when clinically needed, and if found suitable otherwise.”
The prescribing of “antipsychotics” and “antidepressants” to minors needs to stop now. We must also cease calling them by their preferred names. They don’t counteract depression or psychosis; they induce it. They’re zombie pills.
Truly honoring Dagney Benedict
One of the hysterical slogans devised by ‘trans’ activists maintains that the person they refer to as ‘Nex’ should “still be alive today.” Agreed. Dagney Ellis Benedict should still be alive today. She should have never been on those drugs. She should have received counseling instead and been encouraged to participate in the arts.
She shouldn’t have been egged on by her teachers, her mother, capitalist society, the government, her peers, into buckling down on the most extreme and dangerous of her delusions, namely that she can be a human being who doesn’t fall into a sex category or could even switch sexes at will. This is where that leads.
Rather than truly educate young Dagney about the beautiful fact that women possess a special place in society, as givers of new life, ‘trans’ activists and the drugs celebrated by them ruined and robbed her of her life and her future.
At the same time, they used Dagney’s story to wage attacks on freedom of speech, expression. One of the ways this ‘trans’ movement attacks democratic rights is by demanding that people call ‘trans folks’ by their “preferred pronouns”, in other words, their incorrect pronouns, or as they might say, “misgendering” them.
Referring to Dagney as “he” is the true “misgendering.” If you’ve not heard Sue Benedict’s 911 calls, you should. You hear the instinctive cries of a mother, during which time “preferred pronouns” matter nothing. She calls her daughter by her name and says Dagny’s her daughter. I couldn’t possibly disagree with her.
They took the occasion to force the media into referring to this beautiful young lady as “he” and not daring at all to refer to her by her lovely birthname, not even once, out of fear, which again to use their language, “erases” quite a lot of her identity. I’ve been working nonstop on this story the last 72 hours and as mentioned above it’s only been a few hours since Dagney’s autopsy was released.
It was just then that I learned her name. (That’s how much they buried her real name.) I found it made me happy. When I saw it for the first time on her chart, as I’d wondered greatly about what it was, I thought, “What a lovely name!” Then I shed some tears.
As discussed above, an investigation into Owasso high school was launched by the Department of Education, at the request of a nonprofit organization, essentially framing-up the public school on what are demonstrably false charges. The so-called ‘Human Rights Campaign’ also demanded an inquiry into potential ‘hate crimes’ that might have taken place. Back in my day, growing up in public schools in the mid-late nineties, kids who poured water on others were considered the bullies. Such a provocation would, in any case, have guaranteed a scuffle, at the very least.
Still, media effectively prejudged the case, denying the presumption of innocence either to the school and to the accused teens who allegedly ‘hate-crimed’ Dagney.
Benedict’s genealogy was also weaponized to suggest that ‘violence was committed against Native Americans.’ Dagney, like many residents of Oklahoma, possessed some Native American ancestry. This fact is of least importance. Oh, and the anti-Israel crowd tried getting in on the action as well, converting young Benedict into some ‘pro-Palestine’ icon, as I saw one image of her with a Palestinian flag super-imposed, among others.
Sue Benedict also really dropped the ball. She spoiled and egged on her daughter, protecting her from any responsibility, maintaining she could do no wrong. Israeli professor of psychology, Samuel Vaknin, says that spoiling children is the corollary to physical abuse. Both, whether physically abusing or “pedestal-izing” a child as he says, are forms of abuse that lead to dysfunction. Dagney’s erratic and contumacious behavior was suggestive of a belief in no consequences.
The phony actors who claim to be the advocates of Dagney Benedict fantastically argue that erasing her identity, by referring to her as the wrong sex and calling her by an awkward name that isn’t hers, is to somehow affirm her identity. Sue Benedict may have gotten many things wrong as a parent. But one thing she definitely got right was naming her daughter. Dagney Ellis Benedict was a beautiful young lady with a beautiful name. The world deserves to know that.
jonathansalinas@substack.com