Jackson police are investigating the death of 29-year-old Tasia Fortune, whose body was discovered hanging in the backyard of an abandoned home on Aug. 3. While authorities have not yet characterized the death as suspicious, they are conducting an investigation to determine the circumstances. Fortune's body is currently in the custody of the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy to establish the cause and manner of death.
Fortune, a mother of four who had lived in Mississippi for over a decade, was last seen by her mother, Christy Spivey, on July 26. Spivey told ABC News that her daughter had recently attended a family reunion in Kentucky and was not acting out of the ordinary. Spivey stated that her daughter "did not do this to herself." On Wednesday, Jackson City Councilman Kenneth Stokes sent a letter to U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger requesting federal assistance, referring to Fortune in the document as a murder victim.
Police have not identified any suspects or persons of interest. Local media reports indicate that investigators interviewed a man who admitted to having an argument with Fortune but denied involvement in her death. This individual was arrested last week on an unrelated charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Authorities have not specified the nature of his relationship with Fortune.
The discovery follows two other hanging deaths in Mississippi within the last year. Police in Cleveland determined that Trey Reed, a 21-year-old Black student, died by suicide, though his family has requested an independent autopsy. In Vicksburg, the state medical examiner ruled that Cory Zukatis, an unhoused white man, also died by suicide. Additionally, the recent death of 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells, whose body was found two days after a boat excursion in July, has led to calls for transparent investigations in the state.
The scale of public interest is highlighted by the occurrence of three hanging deaths reported in Mississippi in less than 12 months, involving individuals such as 21-year-old Trey Reed and 30-year-old Cory Zukatis. These cases, along with the July death of 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells, have prompted families and their legal representatives to press for independent autopsies and the release of security footage. For residents in these communities, the perceived thoroughness of law enforcement’s response directly impacts public trust in the state's investigative processes.
A person living in Jackson would notice the immediate presence of police at the abandoned property where the body was found and the subsequent memorial established by the family. The concrete change for those involved will occur when the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office releases the autopsy results, which will legally define the manner of death. Any further legal proceedings or federal involvement, as requested by local officials, would depend on those findings. Currently, no timeline has been reported for the completion of the autopsy or the police department's final report.