Entertainment
Ole Miss Students’ Causes of Death Revealed After Mysterious Deaths
The causes of death for two University of Mississippi students found dead on the same day have been revealed in court … with one reportedly dying from a combination of substances, including cough syrup, and the other from inhalation asphyxiation.
According to Action News 5, the new details emerged Friday during a federal court hearing involving two men accused of selling illegal narcotics at a smoke shop near the Ole Miss campus.
The students were both found dead September 21. A defense attorney revealed the causes of death during the hearing, though the findings have not been publicly released in official medical records.
Investigators say both students had three kratom-related substances in their systems, including mitragynine, MGM-15 and MGPI.
According to court records, investigators believe Hamilton purchased pills from Puffs Vape, Tobacco and Beer Store in Oxford in the days leading up to his death, while Strang allegedly obtained similar pills from another store about 20 miles away.
Following the deaths, an undercover informant visited Puffs and asked about kratom-based pills. According to an arrest affidavit, a clerk confirmed the store sold them and warned the informant to be careful because people were dying from the products.
Police later raided the store, seizing approximately 500 units of kratom and kratom-like products, along with suspected THC products.
During Friday’s hearing, a narcotics agent testified one student was found dead inside a university dorm with white foam around his mouth and blood around his teeth. The second student was discovered unresponsive off campus about an hour later, also with white foam around his mouth.
Two store employees are facing federal drug charges in connection with the investigation.
A federal judge ordered one of the men to remain behind bars, citing concerns he could flee the country, while Islam was granted a $20K bond with conditions.
Federal prosecutors argued the students died under circumstances consistent with overdoses, though the exact role of the substances remains under investigation.