As Ole Miss mourns, investigators work to determine what happened to 2 students

(CNN) — The University of Mississippi has identified the two students who died Monday as authorities continue to investigate the tragedy that has left a campus community shaken. Kratom, a packaged herbal supplement, was found in both probes but not verified as connected to the deaths, which occurred after a raucous weekend of football rivalry.

Aidan Hamilton, a freshman from Englewood, Colorado, and Robert Strang, a junior from Atlanta, died, the university said in a statement on Thursday.

“We offer heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and classmates of Aidan and Robert,” Shawnboda Mead, the University of Mississippi’s vice chancellor for student affairs, said in the statement. “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 Robert’s sudden death.

“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.

“Aidan was a bright, wonderful young man who was taken too soon. He is greatly missed,” Hamilton’s family said in a statement sent by the university.

As the campus community reels from the news, there’s been a show 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.”

Here’s what we know about the students’ deaths.

What officials have said about the investigation

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 Mississippi Department of Public Safety and Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics are working alongside our local and federal law enforcement partners as these investigations continue,” Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell told CNN on Thursday.

“Until those investigations and toxicology testing are complete, we cannot rule out foul play, and we encourage everyone to avoid speculation and allow the facts to guide this process,” Tindell said.

Autopsies are being scheduled, CNN affiliate WAPT reported, citing the Lafayette County coroner, and school officials are in contact with local and state law enforcement amid the ongoing investigation.

“We know there is heightened media attention and that you may be eager for answers. We also recognize that inaccurate information is being shared by individuals who do not have access to the facts,” Mead said in Thursday’s statement. “We can all help by not repeating information that has not been officially confirmed and by avoiding public speculation about what happened or why, especially as the causes of the two deaths are still under investigation.”

In dispatch audio from Lafayette County Public Safety obtained by CNN, an operator can be heard reporting a possible overdose at Stewart Hall, a residence hall near the center of campus.

“They do not believe the subject is breathing. Trying to start CPR,” the dispatcher said.

The tragedy has shaken students across campus

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.

The fraternity declined an interview from CNN Thursday.

“While we appreciate the opportunity to honor Robert’s memory publicly, the chapter members would like to decline interviews at this time,” the school’s Phi Delta Theta chapter said.

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.

“We didn’t think to come back to such sad news of losing two classmates,” student Raven Tunstall told CNN affiliate WSB. “College is supposed to be where we grow and gain new experiences. It’s not supposed to be where our lives end.”

As students struggle to navigate their 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.

Country singer Gavin Adcock postponed his show at Ole Miss because of the recent deaths, he announced on Instagram Thursday.

“It doesn’t feel right for us to come play our show this weekend,” Adcock said.

Deaths come during a push for drug awareness

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.