Authorities warn Ole Miss students about illicit drug use after 2 found dead

OXFORD, Miss. (WMC) - Two University of Mississippi students were found dead Monday in separate incidents, officials confirmed Tuesday.

The causes of death have not been determined, but authorities are urging people to avoid any drug or substance not prescribed by a medical doctor.

Emergency call reported possible overdose

Action News 5 learned that emergency responders were called to Stewart Hall around 1:30 p.m. Monday for a possible overdose.

The Lafayette County dispatch call said: “Stewart Hall 61 Women’s Terrace for a possible OD. They do not believe the subject is breathing. Trying to start CPR over the phone.”

The deaths came after the campus hosted LSU for a football game over the weekend that drew tens of thousands of people to Oxford.

“It is very scary. It is like you can’t even know what you can trust or what is safe to do,” Ole Miss student Jay Van Dyke said.

“The reality is that we live in a time where students have to be extremely cautious about what they are consuming and who they are taking it from,” said student Gabe Evans.

Kratom found in both investigations

Lafayette County Metro Narcotics announced Tuesday there is “no evidence the deaths are connected.”

The agency said, “packaged kratom from a retail store was found during both investigations.”

The agency warned people to “avoid kratom and any other substance not prescribed to you from a trusted source.”

Concerns over new drug cychlorphine

Dr. Lucas Trautman, medical director at the Oxford Treatment Center, said kratom is a highly addictive, leafy extract that is easy to buy, nicknamed “gas station heroin” because of its availability and opioid-like effects.

He’s also worried about a new synthetic opioid called cychlorphine. He said drug testing strips cannot identify it.

“It’s 10 times more potent than fentanyl. A grain of sand will kill you,” Dr. Trautman told Action News 5. “A counterfeit Xanax or a counterfeit Adderall might have it in it. I think cychlorphine is the next evolution in a very dangerous drug trade.”

Narcan, which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, is available for free in vending machines on campus and at Oxford’s downtown parking garage.

Jared Foster, owner of Velvet Ditch Seafood and Sports Bar in Oxford, is a recovering addict. He said he’s worried about the students and advises them not to cave to peer pressure when it comes to drug use.

“We’re talking about lives being taken because of drugs,” he said. “That’s the risk; one bad decision can take a life, and I pray for those families.”

Kratom was identified in the overdose deaths of Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke and Memphis music producer Tay Keith earlier this year.

It is illegal in Arkansas and Tennessee but can be sold in parts of Mississippi to people over the age of 21.

Oxford banned kratom in 2019. Lafayette County banned it in 2021.

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