OXFORD, Miss. — The two University of Mississippi students found dead under suspicious circumstances in recent days have been identified by the school — which also said the names were being released with their families’ approval.
Robert Strang, a 20-year-old from Atlanta, is the older of the two victims. The second student was as Aidan Hamilton, an 18-year-old freshman from Colorado.
“We are heartbroken by the loss of our dear son and are trying to process this unimaginable loss,” Strang’s family spokesman Scott Sayres told Fox News Digital Thursday. “We are deeply grateful for the incredible outpouring of love, prayers and support by so many beloved friends and family. Their kindness has meant more to our family than we can ever express.”
Both families have asked for privacy and compassion as they mourn the losses of their sons.
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Separately, Commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety Sean Tindell told Fox News Digital that while authorities haven’t uncovered any indications of foul play, they haven’t ruled it out either.
“Until the autopsy is reported, and the investigators have an opportunity to get statements and collect evidence, then that final determination will not be made until later,” he said.
Without the toxicology reports, it’s also too early to determine whether kratom or other drugs were involved in the deaths. Police previously said that they found packages of kratom, which is commercially available in many places but not Lafayette County, at both scenes.
He also said that both deaths happened at around the same time, or at least within a few hours, which was also suspicious. However, he said he expects the autopsy reports to give investigators a more specific window.
“The timing of it is suspicious, but I don’t know that they have any direct relation other than if they both had ingested the substance from the same source,” he said. “Then at some point we would try to track it back to that source and take appropriate action.”
Social media posts from the Ole Miss chapter of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity identify Strang as one of seven co-chairmen of the 2026 Rush, when new members are recruited.
“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, who are processing the unimaginable loss of a child,” the school’s Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Dr. Shawnboda Mead said in a statement Thursday afternoon.
“We have been in touch with the families to offer our deepest sympathies and share university support and resources. Until now, we have upheld their wishes not to release the names of their students,” she continued. “Today, the families of Aidan Hamilton, a freshman from Englewood, Colo., and Robert Strang, a junior from Atlanta, have given us permission to share their names. The families have asked for privacy as they grieve.”
Mead continued to urge the public not to rely on speculation or unverified information about the case as law enforcement continues to investigate both deaths.
“We offer heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and classmates of Aidan and Robert,” she said. “While there are no words that can alleviate the tremendous sorrow they are experiencing, please keep them close in your thoughts and prayers during this time of immense grief.”
Phi Delta Theta’s Ole Miss chapter also put out a statement after the university, asking for prayers for both victims.
“Phi Delta Theta joins the University of Mississippi and the broader Ole Miss community in mourning Robert and Aidan Hamilton and extending our deepest sympathies to their families, friends, chapter brothers, classmates, and all those who knew and loved them.”
Strang was discovered at an off-campus home, according to the Lafayette County Coroner’s Office. Hamilton, 18, is believed to have been found at Stewart Hall, a male dorm on the Ole Miss campus.
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The Lafayette County Coroner’s Office previously told Fox News that an 18-year-old had been found in a dorm room and the 20-year-old victim was recovered at an off-campus home. Both deaths are being investigated by the county’s narcotics task force, and it’s unclear whether they were connected.
Authorities found packages of kratom, a commercially available drug that has been derided as “gas station heroin,” at both scenes, however its role in either death was not immediately clear. Campus Greek life leaders have previously circulated a warning about a synthetic opioid called cychlorphine.
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Cychlorphine can be treated with Narcan but sometimes requires multiple doses, students were told. It also may not show up on common drug-detecting strips used to find fentanyl contamination.
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Students are being urged to avoid all drugs.
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Gov. Tate Reeves said Wednesday that state investigators were assisting local authorities, and that they would try and expedite the toxicology reports on both victims. Such reports typically take weeks to complete.
No official cause and manner of death have been given for either victim as of Thursday morning.
This is a breaking news story. Stick with Fox News Digital for updates.
