Police near Ole Miss respond to suspected overdose, say ‘not student-related’

Police in Oxford, Miss., responded to a suspected overdose involving a 22-year-old Thursday morning with synthetic kratom found nearby. The case is “not student-related” and is not connected to the two student deaths, police said.

The Oxford Police Department wrote that officers and emergency personnel responded to the residence at around 5 a.m., where the person was found “unresponsive.” EMS personnel were able to revive the person, and they’re expected to be OK. Police said synthetic kratom was found to be in their possession.

Officials said the suspected overdose isn’t related to the deaths of Ole Miss students Aidan Hamilton, 18, and Robert Strang, 20, who were found dead on Sept. 21 with synthetic kratom nearby. Officials haven’t released information on what caused their deaths.

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The individual suspected to have overdosed is expected to be OK, Oxford police said. (Getty Images)

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Police said the synthetic kratom found during Thursday morning’s suspected overdose isn’t believed to have been purchased from the Oxford area.

The suspected overdose comes after both Hamilton and Strang were found dead on Sept. 21 with synthetic kratom found near them.

College town Oxford, Mississippi, is home to the main campus of the University of Mississippi, or “Ole Miss.” (Wesley Hitt via Getty Images)

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In a statement Wednesday, Lafayette County Metro Narcotics, a department in the sheriff’s office, stopped short of declaring that investigators found kratom itself near either student. “During the investigations, packaging associated with kratom-related products was discovered at both locations,” part of the statement read. The Sept. 25 affidavit reported toxicology results from the medical examiner were still pending.

American Kratom Association Senior Fellow on Public Policy Mac Haddow said Wednesday during a press conference that the specific drug found near both students is illegal.

Robert Strang and Aidan Hamilton in a split image provided by their families. (Strang family, Kathleen Hamilton/Facebook)

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Haddow pointed out the sale and possession of kratom has been illegal federally as of August and illegal to sell or possess in Oxford, Mississippi since 2019, and illegal in Lafayette County, where Oxford is located, since 2021.