Mississippi officials say toxicology reports for two Ole Miss deaths will be completed in due course

The Mississippi Department of Public Safety announced that the toxicology reports for Ole Miss students Aidan Hamilton, 18, and Robert Strang, 20, who were found dead on Sept. 21, will be completed "in due course" and that the families will be notified before any public release.

Hamilton was discovered with a package of synthetic kratom tablets labeled "Smax, Pseudo-DHM," and officials noted that pulmonary edema, consistent with a drug overdose, could have contributed to his death. Strang was found "cold to the touch" with a similar package of tablets, as well as multiple nitrous oxide cans, and his roommates said he had taken a Xanax bar the day before.

"Commissioner met with the medical examiner's office yesterday and we expect the reports to be finalized ‘in due course.’ The families will be the first to know," press secretary Alex Gibert said.

The American Kratom Association criticized the lack of public identification of the specific products involved, stating that the tablets are not natural kratom leaf and that users should have been warned about them.

Police investigations linked Hamilton's recent purchases to a local vape and tobacco store, where two employees have been charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. However, court documents did not confirm that the tablets found at Hamilton's residence originated from that store. Strang's synthetic kratom product was reportedly bought at a nearby gas station.