Toxicology reports for two University of Mississippi students who died on September 21 are expected to be completed "in due course," with their families being the first to receive the results, an official told Fox News Digital.
Aidan Hamilton, 18, and Robert Strang, 20, were found dead on that date. Court documents indicate that both students had similar packages of kratom or synthetic kratom in their possession at the time of their deaths. Officials noted that Hamilton "could have died due to a Pulmonary Edema," a finding consistent with a drug overdose. Strang was discovered unresponsive by first responders at his residence near campus.
Alex Gibert, press secretary for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, stated that the commissioner met with the medical examiner's office and anticipates the reports will be finalized soon. "The families will be the first to know," Gibert added.
The American Kratom Association held a news conference Wednesday, expressing criticism over the "delay in publicly identifying the specific products purchased by two Ole Miss students before their deaths." The association asserted that the tablets in question are not natural kratom leaf and argued that students should have received specific warnings about the products under investigation.
Packaging on the kratom items found near both students was labeled "Smax, Pseudo-DHM" tablets, described in court documents as a "Kratom like substance at gas stations or tobacco shops" purchased for its "narcotic like effect."
Hamilton had made several purchases in September from Puffs Vape, Tobacco and Beer Store in Oxford. Workers Yahya Mohamed Mosleh, 51, and Islam Mohamed, 18, were arrested and face charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. Court documents did not explicitly state that the kratom found near Hamilton when he died originated from this store, though one purchase was made the day before his death.
Approximately one hour after Hamilton was found deceased, police responded to a house near campus and discovered Strang dead. A package of "Smax, Pseudo-DHM" tablets was found on his nightstand. Strang's roommates reported that he used nitrous oxide cans, commonly known as "whippets," daily and was watching football and had taken a Xanax bar the day before he was found dead.
Officials indicated that the synthetic kratom-derived product Strang possessed was purchased at a gas station located about 30 minutes from Oxford.
The exact role kratom played in the deaths of Hamilton and Strang has not yet been determined.