Toxicology Reports Completed for Ole Miss Students Found Dead With Synthetic Kratom

Toxicology reports for two University of Mississippi students who died on September 21 have been completed, according to an official. Aidan Hamilton, 18, and Robert Strang, 20, were discovered deceased with similar packages of a substance identified as synthetic kratom, specifically Smax tablets, found in their possession.

Alex Gibert, press secretary for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, confirmed to Fox News Digital that the toxicology reports for both Strang and Hamilton are finished. The findings will be submitted to the Lafayette County coroner and subsequently shared with the families.

The American Kratom Association is scheduled to hold a press conference, criticizing what they describe as a "delay in publicly identifying the specific products purchased by two Ole Miss students before their deaths." The association contends that these particular tablets are not natural kratom leaf and that students should have been warned about the products under investigation.

Court documents indicated that Hamilton "could have died due to a Pulmonary Edema," a condition consistent with a drug overdose. Strang was found "cold to the touch" by first responders at his home near campus.

Packaging on the 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 a "narcotic like effect."

Hamilton had made purchases at Puffs Vape, Tobacco and Beer Store in Oxford in September. 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 specify if the kratom found near Hamilton originated from this store; one purchase was made the day before he was found deceased.

Approximately one hour after Hamilton was found, police responded to a nearby residence and discovered Strang deceased. A package of the "Smax, Pseudo-DHM" tablets was found on his nightstand, along with 20 to 30 canisters of nitrous oxide, commonly known as "whippets." Strang's roommates reported that he used these canisters daily. They also told officers that Strang was watching football and had taken a Xanax bar the day he was found.

Officials stated that the synthetic kratom product Strang possessed was purchased at a gas station about 30 minutes outside of Oxford.

The exact role kratom played in the deaths of Hamilton and Strang has not yet been determined.