Ole Miss students found dead identified as Aidan Hamilton, Robert Strang | CNN
Authorities continue to investigate the deaths of two University of Mississippi students — where kratom, a packaged herbal supplement, was found in both probes but not verified as connected to the deaths — following a rowdy weekend centered on a major football rivalry.
Aidan Hamilton, a freshman from Englewood, Colorado, and Robert Strang, a junior from Atlanta, have died, the university said in a statement on Thursday.
“We offer heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and classmates of Aidan and Robert,” the university said. “While there are no words that can alleviate the tremendous sorrow they are experiencing, please keep them close in your thoughts and prayers during this time of immense grief.”
The university also said it had honored both families’ requests to delay publicizing the students’ names until now. Scott Sayres, a spokesperson for the Strang family, shared a statement about the sudden loss of their son.
“We are heartbroken by the loss of our dear son, Robert, and are trying to process this unimaginable loss,” the family said, adding they are “deeply grateful for the incredible outpouring of love and prayers.”
“As we grieve and focus on our family, we ask for privacy, understanding and compassion in the days ahead,” the family said in the statement.
As the campus community reels from the news, there’s been an outpouring of support from fellow students. Olivia Claire Williford, president of the university’s Associated Student Body, said the deaths have encouraged students to have conversations about taking care of themselves and looking after their peers.
“This has been difficult for our student body, but I have also seen tremendous compassion, kindness, and support throughout our community,” Williford said in an email Wednesday. “Behind the headlines are students, friends, classmates, and families who are grieving … I hope the nation sees an Ole Miss student body that is supporting one another, encouraging each other, and remaining united during a very difficult time.”
Autopsies are being scheduled, CNN affiliate WAPT reported, citing the Lafayette County coroner.
Here’s what we know about the students’ deaths.
While there is no confirmed evidence the deaths Monday are connected to kratom or any other substance, packaged kratom – an opioid-like herb that can produce both stimulant and sedative effects – sold from a retail store was found in both investigations, according to Lafayette County Metro Narcotics, a multiagency law enforcement unit.
Officials asked people to avoid kratom and “any other medication or substance that was not prescribed to you or obtained from a trusted, regulated source.”
“The University is heartbroken by the recent loss of two students and extends our condolences to their families, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time,” Dr. Shawnboda Mead, vice chancellor for student affairs, said on X.
The school is aware of “considerable unverified information” on social media and indicated the local coroner’s office has confirmed only two student deaths, she said. School officials are in contact with local and state law enforcement amid the ongoing investigation.
Strang was a member of the Alpha Chapter of Phi Delta Theta. On Thursday, the fraternity’s national organization called “the loss of two young lives … a profound tragedy.”
“We encourage the Phi Delta Theta community to keep the Strang family, the Mississippi Alpha Chapter, and everyone affected by these tragic losses in their thoughts,” the fraternity said in a statement.
Several fraternities and sororities have mourned the loss of both students by placing black ribbons outside their on-campus homes, WMC reported.
Across campus, vending machines that offer free Narcan – an over-the-counter nasal spray version of naloxone used to rapidly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose – have been emptied, WMC reported.
“It was one of those things where I realized, yes, there’s a need for those Narcan dispensers on campus and on the Square,” Eliza Cavness, a senior at the university, told CNN affiliate WLBT.
The shocking deaths have put issues around drug use on campus in perspective, she said.
As students struggle to navigate the shock and grief, one resident assistant told the student newspaper, The Daily Mississippian, he’s tried to provide counsel but he’s also felt helpless at times.
“It’s just hard to navigate when you don’t know what to tell your residents because they’re all scared,” senior Darryl Harlan said.
Ethan Prince told WMC his friends and classmates have also started checking in on each other to make sure they’re being safe.
“It’s been something that’s brought us together as a community but it’s also something that is very scary and is very real for these people,” he said.
Though details about the students’ cause of death have not been made public, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said in a statement the state’s Department of Public Safety and Bureau of Narcotics are working with local law enforcement to “expedite toxicology reports” and assist with the investigation.
Reeves stressed that illegal drugs “are a serious problem at colleges and universities throughout the country.”
“Please talk to your children about this situation and the dangers associated with taking illegal drugs,” Reeves said. “There has never been a more dangerous time to be a young person in American society.”
Mississippi is in the third year of its One Pill Can Kill initiative aimed at reducing overdose deaths, including those related to fentanyl. Additionally, just last week, the state attorney general “trained students at The University of Mississippi – Ole Miss on how to administer Narcan and provided students with the tools they need to help save a life in the event of an overdose,” the official announced.
The federal government recently cracked down on some potent kratom-related compounds, which in natural and semisynthetic forms have been associated with mild to severe cases of addiction and poisoning. Natural kratom is regulated in at least 22 states and banned in eight.
Kratom, which comes from the leaves of the tropical tree Mitragyna speciosa, native to Southeast Asia, is not illegal in Mississippi, though Oxford and other cities have banned sales of related products, The Associated Press has reported. Across some states, it may be sold to people of all ages at gas stations, smoke shops and convenience, grocery and health food stores and in various forms, including powders, loose-leaf teas, capsules, tablets and concentrates.
The use, purchase, possession, distribution and sale of kratom products has been illegal in Lafayette County since 2021, the Board of Supervisors reminded residents on Wednesday.