Two University of Mississippi students found dead, drug-related investigation underway
Two University of Mississippi students have been found dead amid a drug-related investigation, according to authorities.
Ole Miss deaths probe prompts urgent warning to students as cases draw state, federal response
As the investigation continues into the suspicious deaths of two University of Mississippi students Tuesday, students are being urged to avoid taking drugs as police continue their work.
Lafayette County authorities said in a statement they were working with other local departments as well as state and federal agencies, while questions remain about what happened.
Police said they found the drug Kratom at both scenes, but they have not conclusively linked it to either death.
Greek Life organizations were also reportedly warning members of a powerful synthetic opioid called cychlorphine, according to the campus newspaper.
"When things tragic like this happen, it's important to me for students to know that this is a person, not just a giant headline," Raegan Settle, editor in chief of the student-run Daily Mississippian newspaper, told CBS Mornings Wednesday. "This is somebody that you went to class with."
Multiple fraternities and sororities at the University of Mississippi have issued warnings to their members about the synthetic opioid cychlorphine after two students were found dead in separate incidents on campus, according to the college newspaper, the Daily Mississippian.
Cychlorphine can be countered with the opioid antidote, Narcan, which is available for free to students, according to authorities.
According to the paper, students were warned that multiple doses of Narcan may need to be administered due to cychloprhine's "extreme potency."
Questions swirl after college students found dead with ‘gas station heroin’ at both scenes
Fox News correspondent Madison Scarpino joins ‘America’s Newsroom’ to report on the tragic deaths of two University of Mississippi students as police warn about dangers of Kratom, which has been called "gas station heroin" by critics.
Two University of Mississippi students were found dead in Oxford, Mississippi, Monday — with the drug discovered at both locations.
Authorities note that toxicological reports are still pending to determine the official cause of death.
Separately, members of the campus Greek Life community are being urged to avoid another powerful drug — cychlorphine. That is a powerful synthetic opioid described by one former DEA agent as "as bad as fentanyl."
Students are being urged not to take any drugs as the investigations play out.
Ole Miss vice chancellor urges public 'not to speculate' as drug-related investigations play out
As local, state and federal authorities investigate the deaths of two University of Mississippi students Monday, school leaders are urging the public to be patient and not to repeat "unverified information" they may come across on social media.
"The University is heartbroken by the recent loss of two students and extends our condolences to their families, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time," the schools' vice chancellor for student affairs, Dr. Shawnboda Mead, said in a statement.
"We are aware that considerable unverified information is circulating on social media and in the community regarding these recent student deaths. The Coroner's Office has confirmed two student deaths, and University Police are not aware of any additional student deaths. University Police remain in contact with local and state law enforcement and the causes of the two deaths are still under investigation."
Mead urged the public "not to speculate" until the investigations are complete.
Lafayette County investigators have said that they found the drug Kratom at both scenes, however it is not immediately clear whether that drug played any role in either death. Students have also reportedly been warned about the powerful synthetic opioid, cychlorphine, which sometimes requires multiple doses of opioid antidotes like Narcan to reverse.
Marked cruisers line the street of Rebel Drive at Ole Miss
Marked cruisers line the street of Rebel Drive outside the University Police headquarters at the University of Mississippi Wednesday.
Two students died earlier this week in separate incidents, one of them off-campus. Lafayette County narcotics investigators have opened separate probes into the cases, but they say that at both scenes, the commercially available drug Kratom was found.
The substance has not immediately been linked to either death, but authorities are urging students to avoid it. It is not legally available for sale in Lafayette County, but it is not outlawed in Mississippi as a whole.
Mississippi dispatch audio describes the response to a possible overdose at Ole Miss
Dispatch audio provided by Broadcastify describes firefighters' response to an unresponsive person at the University of Mississippi's Stewart Hall Monday afternoon.
Authorities are investigating two separate deaths involving students on the same day.
According to the schools's website, Stewart Hall is a seven-story residential building for male students that opened in 1963. It is located on Women's Terrace, near the heart of campus.
The dispatcher can be heard reporting to first responders that the subject doesn't appear to be breathing and that they were attempting to coach someone through CPR over the phone as firefighters raced to the scene.
According to the radio traffic, firefighters responded in just under a minute after receiving the call.
Lafayette County narcotics investigators have said that the drug Kratom was found at the scene of both deaths, which are being probed separately. However, it remains unclear whether the drug or something else caused the deaths of those students.
Ole Miss fraternities, sororities sound alarm, scrap social events
Multiple fraternities and sororities at the University of Mississippi have issued warnings to their members about the synthetic opioid cychlorphine after two students were found dead in separate incidents on campus, according to the college newspaper, the Daily Mississippian.
Cychlorphine can be countered with the opioid antidote, Narcan, which is available for free to students, according to authorities.
According to the paper, students were warned that multiple doses of Narcan may need to be administered due to cychloprhine's "extreme potency."
Lafayette county authorities have said that a different drug, Kratom, was found at the scene of both deaths and that separate investigations are underway. Police are urging the public to avoid using that drug. As of Wednesday morning, it had not been confirmed as playing a role in either death.
The campus Greek Life community is also on edge, with some groups canceling planned events this week, according to the school paper.
Two Ole Miss students found dead as packaged Kratom is recovered in both locations
Two "college-aged individuals" were found dead in separate incidents Monday, with packages of the over-the-counter drug Kratom in both locations, according to Lafayette County authorities.
The drug had not immediately been linked to either incident, and separate investigations were underway, authorities said.
The University of Mississippi separately confirmed that both victims were students at Ole Miss.
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