VIDEO – ON THE CORNER STORE –
Mar. 14, 2026 – A Utah woman says her brother was killed using a product readily available in Utah gas stations and convenience stores. Since his death, the Utah Legislature had passed a law to restrict the supplement called kratom.
Kratom-based products are marketed as energy supplements and often labeled as a safer, more natural alternative to pain management medications. Soon, the products will be removed from Utah shelves.
Autumn Knight spoke to KSL about the death of her brother, Aaron Smiley.
“Aaron was just an amazing soul,” Knight said. “He gave. He gave more than he was given.”
Smiley died in February 2025 in Moab. Knight said his cause of death was ruled “undetermined” by the medical examiner even though he showed all the symptoms of a drug overdose.
“There was nothing else in his system but kratom,” Knight said.
