Ole Miss names two students found dead as investigation into their deaths continues

The University of Mississippi has publicly identified the two students found dead on and near campus this week as Robert Strang, 20, a junior from Atlanta, and Aidan Hamilton, 18, a freshman from Englewood, Colorado — releasing the names Thursday with the families’ approval after days of withholding them at the families’ request.

Mr. Strang was found at an off-campus home, according to the Lafayette County Coroner’s Office, while Mr. Hamilton was discovered at Stewart Hall, a men’s dormitory on campus. Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell told Fox News Digital that investigators have not uncovered evidence of foul play but have not ruled it out, either, and that a final determination will wait on autopsy results and further witness interviews. No official cause or manner of death has been announced for either student.

Both families asked for privacy as they grieve. Mr. Strang’s family, through a spokesman, said they were “deeply grateful for the incredible outpouring of love, prayers and support,” while Mr. Hamilton’s family described him as “a bright, wonderful young man who was taken too soon.”

Lafayette County’s narcotics task force is investigating both deaths and has said it has not established a connection between the two cases, though the students died within hours of each other. Investigators have recovered packaged kratom purchased from a retail store at both scenes, but officials say no substance has been confirmed as a contributing factor in either death, and toxicology results, which can take weeks, are still pending.

Kratom is a plant-derived substance sometimes called “gas station heroin” that medical experts say can carry opioid-like risks at higher doses. Separately from the two deaths, campus Greek life leaders have circulated warnings about cychlorphine, a synthetic opioid unrelated to the kratom found at either scene; officials have not tied it to either student’s death.

The deaths have shaken the Oxford campus. Fraternities and sororities have canceled at least three events, and bars around town have tightened security measures. One Ole Miss student told Fox News Digital she believes she was drugged at a bar over the weekend and was later found passed out in her dorm hallway; she and other students say they’re now afraid to leave their dorm rooms at night. Daily Mississippian Editor-in-Chief Raegan Settle has publicly pressed university leadership for more direct communication with students.

University Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Shawnboda Mead said in a statement that the school has been in contact with both families and is offering support resources.

“As our university community continues to mourn the recent tragic loss of two of our students, I encourage everyone to remember that at the center of this are two grieving families,” Ms. Mead said. The Ole Miss chapter of Phi Delta Theta, of which Mr. Strang was a member and 2026 rush co-chairman, also issued a statement mourning both students.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said state investigators are assisting local authorities and pushing to expedite toxicology results.