Oxford Clerk Warned Kratom Pills Were Killing People as 2 Ole Miss Students Died
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 29
Oxford Clerk Warned Kratom Pills Were Killing People as 2 Ole Miss Students Died
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 29
Summary
Court records say an Oxford vape store clerk told a confidential informant to stay quiet about kratom pills because “people were dying from them” before two Ole Miss students were found dead with similar products nearby.
Sept. 21 deaths of Aidan Hamilton, 18, and Robert Strang, 20, are under investigation after authorities found packages labeled “Smax, Pseudo-DHM” — described as a kratom-like substance sold for a narcotic-like effect.
Hamilton had made several September purchases at Puffs Vape, including one a day before his death, and police later seized more than 500 kratom units there; two store workers were arrested on controlled-substance distribution charges.
Strang was found with the same branded tablets plus 20 to 30 nitrous oxide cans, and roommates said he used whippets daily and had taken a Xanax bar the day before.
Mississippi officials have not determined what role kratom played in either death, though one document said Hamilton could have died from pulmonary edema consistent with an overdose.