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

By Cindy Von Quednow, CNN

(CNN) — Authorities continue to investigate the deaths of two University of Mississippi students — where kratom, a packaged herbal supplement, was found in both probes but not verified as connected to the deaths — following a rowdy weekend centered on a major football rivalry.

There has been an outpouring of support from fellow students. Several fraternities and sororities have mourned the loss of the students and have placed black ribbons outside their on-campus homes, CNN affiliate WMC reported.

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.”

The students were found dead at their homes on and off the campus in Oxford. Autopsies are being scheduled, CNN affiliate WAPT reported, citing the Lafayette County coroner, to whom CNN has reached out. Authorities have not released their names, ages or genders.

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 University is heartbroken by the recent loss of two students and extends our condolences to their families, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time,” Dr. Shawnboda Mead, vice chancellor for student affairs, said on X.

The school is aware of “considerable unverified information” on social media and indicated the local coroner’s office has confirmed only two student deaths, she said. School officials are in contact with local and state law enforcement amid the ongoing investigation.

The tragedy has shaken students across campus

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, CNN affiliate 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.

As students struggle to navigate the shock and 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.

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 in a statement 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.

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CNN’s Chelsea Bailey, Kristen Rogers, Isabel Rosales, Avni Trivedi, Christine Sever and Leah Thomeer contributed to this report.