Fact Check Team: What we know about Ole Miss student deaths

Two University of Mississippi students died Sept. 21 in separate incidents, prompting an investigation into what happened and renewed concerns about emerging drugs circulating among young people.

Investigators have found a product called Smax Pseudo-DHM at both locations, according to recently released court documents. The documents describe the product as a kratom-like or synthetic kratom product, and investigators say both students had purchased it.

But finding a drug or drug product does not establish that someone consumed it or that it caused a death.

Autopsies have been completed, but toxicology results are still pending. Authorities have not publicly established a cause of death for either student.

Smax Pseudo-DHM is a product investigators identified in connection with both cases. Court documents describe it as a kratom-like product.

Kratom is a plant-derived substance that can produce stimulant effects at lower doses and opioid-like effects at higher doses. The FDA has warned about certain concentrated kratom compounds and products.

The presence of Smax Pseudo-DHM at both locations is an investigative lead, but it does not by itself establish that the product caused or contributed to the deaths.

7-hydroxymitragynine, commonly called 7-OH, is a compound found naturally in kratom in small amounts. Concentrated 7-OH products are different from traditional kratom leaf products.

The FDA has warned that products containing concentrated 7-OH can pose serious health risks, including dependence, withdrawal and other adverse effects.

There is currently no public confirmation that 7-OH caused or contributed to either Ole Miss student's death. The Kratom Association of America said on Wednesday the tablets found in the students' rooms "are not natural kratom leaf and that students should have been specifically warned about these products under investigation."

Cychlorphine is an emerging synthetic opioid that has been the subject of warnings circulating among students and college communities following the Ole Miss deaths.

However, there is no public confirmation that cychlorphine was found at either death scene or that it played a role in either death.

That distinction is important as investigators await toxicology results.

The CDC says signs of an opioid overdose can include:

If an opioid overdose is suspected, the CDC recommends calling 911 and administering naloxone if it is available.

Naloxone, commonly known by the brand name Narcan, can rapidly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

For the Ole Miss investigations, however, the central fact remains: toxicology results are still pending, and authorities have not established that any specific drug caused either death.