Two University of Mississippi students who died in separate incidents in Oxford, Mississippi, have been identified as 20-year-old Robert Strang and 18-year-old Aidan Hamilton.
Strang, a junior from Atlanta, was found dead at an off-campus property, while Hamilton, a freshman from Englewood, Colorado, was discovered at Stewart Hall, a men’s residence on the Ole Miss campus. Both deaths occurred on Monday, September 21.
Their deaths are being investigated separately by the Lafayette County Metro Narcotics Unit. Investigators have said there is currently no evidence linking the cases. ([wlbt.com](https://www.wlbt.com/2026/09/24/student-newspaper-confirms-identities-deaths-ole-miss-students/?outputType=amp&utm_source=openai))
Strang’s family confirmed his death through their lawyer, saying they were “heartbroken” and trying to process what they described as an “unimaginable loss”. They asked for privacy and compassion as they mourned.
Social media posts from the university’s Phi Delta Theta fraternity chapter identified Strang as one of seven co-chairmen involved in recruiting new members for the 2026 rush.
Authorities found commercially packaged kratom at both locations, but have not established whether the substance played a part in either death. Officials have urged people not to speculate while autopsies and toxicology testing are under way. ([mississippitoday.org](https://mississippitoday.org/2026/09/22/kratom-warning-ole-miss-deaths-mississippi-oxford/?utm_source=openai))
The Mississippi Department of Public Safety and Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics are assisting local investigators, with state officials seeking to speed up toxicology reports. Results are expected to take time, and no official cause or manner of death has yet been released. ([wlox.com](https://www.wlox.com/2026/09/23/gov-reeves-responds-after-two-ole-miss-students-found-dead-state-assisting-with-toxicology-reports/?utm_source=openai))
The University of Mississippi has warned students about unverified claims circulating online and said campus police were not aware of any other student deaths. Students have also been urged to avoid drugs and any medication or substance that has not been prescribed or obtained from a trusted, regulated source. ([mississippitoday.org](https://mississippitoday.org/2026/09/22/kratom-warning-ole-miss-deaths-mississippi-oxford/?utm_source=openai))
Mississippi health officials separately warned that the contents and strength of unregulated psychoactive products cannot reliably be determined from their packaging or place of sale, and said identifying substances involved in a death may require laboratory testing and toxicology analysis. ([msdh.ms.gov](https://msdh.ms.gov/page/23%2C31118%2C341.html?utm_source=openai))
