The death of Tasia Fortune, a 29-year-old woman who was found hanging from a tree in Mississippi, is being investigated as a homicide by the Jackson Police Department, as questions remain about her death. Fortune’s body was found on August 3, hanging from a tree in the lot of an abandoned home. Concerns over her death have echoed through the state and been heightened by the fact that the state of Mississippi has a history of lynchings and racial violence.
Her death also comes as a number of deaths of Black people, including 18-year-old Nolan Wells, have sparked concerns over race-related violence in the United States. On Tuesday, the Jackson Police Department confirmed for the first time that the death was being investigated as a homicide. Newsweek has contacted Fortune’s family through a GoFundMe page and the Jackson Police Department and Mississippi State Medical Examiner via email for comment outside of regular business hours.
Chief RaShall Brackney said at a City Council meeting on Tuesday that the department has been “investigating this case from day one as a homicide until we hear otherwise from the medical examiner’s office.” Brackney added that an autopsy was four weeks ago and that “To date, we have not received the outcomes of that autopsy.” On September 4, Christine Spivey, Fortune’s mother, wrote in an update shared to a GoFundMe that had been set up by her daughter, “I was hoping to give updates and/or progress about Tasia's case by now but we are no closer than the day we found out about her murder.” In the post, she said there had been a lack of communication from law enforcement. Fortune was a mother of four and had lived in Mississippi for more than a decade. Spivey previously told ABC News that Fortune was “strong-minded,” and “full of laughs and love.” She also told the outlet that she did not believe Fortune’s death was suicide.
Fortune’s death is the third incident in Mississippi in less than a year where police have found someone dead and hanging from a tree. In September 2025, on the same day, the body of a Black male and the body of a white male were discovered. Both deaths were ruled a suicide but the mother of the deceased Black man, Trey Reed, contests those findings.
In July, 18-year-old Nolan Wells disappeared during a boating trip to Horn Island, a barrier island about 10 miles off the Mississippi coast, and his body was later found. Questions having been raised over his death, which has gained national attention. There is now a push for Justice Department involvement in the investigation.
Over 50,000 people have signed a petition requesting an independent investigation into the conduct of the Mississippi Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Staci Turner following criticism of the handling of cases that involved people of color. Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, a Texas Democrat has called for the Department of Justice to investigate what she described in a public letter as “possible modern-day lynchings,” and specifically highlighted deaths in Mississippi, including Fortune’s.
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