Ole Miss student deaths under investigation after kratom found - Newsweek
Two University of Mississippi students have died, and local authorities say packaged kratom products were recovered during separate investigations into their deaths.
Officials are warning the public while stressing that no link between kratom and the deaths has been established.
As investigators work to determine how the students died, campus, local and state officials are urging students not to speculate and are expanding overdose-prevention outreach efforts.
The Lafayette County Sheriff's Office said it is conducting two separate death investigations and has not found evidence indicating the cases are connected.
Authorities also said packaged kratom purchased from a retail store was found during both investigations, though investigators have not confirmed that kratom or any other substance contributed to either death.
The identities of the students have not yet been released to the public. Their bodies were discovered Monday at separate locations, NBC News reported, citing Mayor Robyn Tannehill. One student was found on campus, and the other was found in the city of Oxford.
According to WMC Action 5 News, public safety officials responded to Stewart Hall on the Ole Miss campus shortly after 1:30 p.m. Monday following a report of a possible overdose.
The individual was reportedly unresponsive and received CPR. Officials have released few details about the circumstances surrounding the second student's death.
Newsweek has contacted the Oxford Police Department and the Lafayette County Sheriff's Office for comment.
Kratom is derived from a plant native to Southeast Asia. In low doses, it acts like a stimulant, while at higher doses it has sedating effects. The drug has not been approved by the FDA, and the Trump Administration has warned about the dangers of consuming the drug and temporarily scheduled 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), a compound that occurs naturally in Kratom, as a Schedule I substance.
Kratom was found during the investigation, Lafayette County Metro Narcotics said in a press release about the deaths. However, law enforcement has asked the public not to speculate on the deaths, as the cause of death has not been confirmed.
“We do not have confirmed information indicating that kratom or any other substance was a contributing factor in either death,” the press release said. “We ask the public to avoid speculation regarding the circumstances or causes of either death while these investigations remain ongoing.”
The investigations remain ongoing. Although authorities urged people not to speculate about the deaths before information has been confirmed, the Lafayette County Metro Narcotics reminded the public that free Narcan is available through vending machines on campus as well as at the downtown parking garage in the City of Oxford.
