BLACK WOMAN, 29, FOUND HANGING FROM A TREE — POLICE NOW INVESTIGATING HER DEATH AS A HOMICIDE

Tasia Fortune was found behind a vacant home in Jackson, Mississippi. Weeks later, investigators are still waiting for the autopsy results as her family demands answers.

The death of a 29-year-old Black mother in Mississippi has taken a new and deeply troubling turn.

Tasia Fortune was found hanging from a tree behind a vacant home in Jackson on Aug. 3. For weeks, authorities publicly described the case as a death investigation while awaiting the results of an autopsy.

Now, Jackson Police Chief RaShell Brackney has confirmed that investigators have been treating Fortune’s death as a homicide from the beginning — at least until the state medical examiner determines otherwise.

The revelation has intensified calls from Fortune’s family and members of the Jackson community for answers.

A DISCOVERY THAT SHOCKED THE COMMUNITY

Fortune’s body was discovered behind a vacant property in the 500 block of Road of Remembrance in west Jackson.

Authorities identified her several days later as Tasia Fortune, a 29-year-old mother of four.

The location and circumstances surrounding the discovery immediately drew attention because of Mississippi’s painful history of racial violence and lynching.

At the time, however, investigators did not publicly announce a cause or manner of death.

The Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy, but the official findings have not yet been released.

HER FAMILY WANTS ANSWERS

Fortune’s mother, Christy Spivey, has repeatedly called for a thorough investigation.

Spivey has said she does not believe her daughter was suicidal and has expressed frustration over the lack of information available to the family.

She previously told reporters that she believes her daughter was killed, while also saying she did not believe the case was necessarily a hate crime.

The family’s concerns have also drawn the attention of Jackson City Councilman Kenneth Stokes, who has publicly demanded answers and requested additional federal attention to the investigation.

During a City Council meeting, Stokes pointed to the disturbing historical significance of a Black woman being found hanging from a tree in Mississippi.

POLICE ARE STILL WAITING FOR THE AUTOPSY

Chief Brackney told the City Council that the autopsy had been completed roughly four weeks earlier.

But investigators still had not received the final results.

“Jackson Police Department has been investigating this case from day one as a homicide, until we hear otherwise from the medical examiner’s office,” Brackney said, according to Mississippi Today.

That distinction is important.

Although police are investigating the case as a homicide, the official cause and manner of Fortune’s death have not yet been publicly established.

No one has been publicly charged in connection with her death.

A PERSON OF INTEREST

Authorities have identified a person of interest in the investigation.

That person, Terence Anderson, 65, was arrested on an unrelated weapons charge, according to reports. Investigators have not announced that he has been charged in connection with Fortune’s death.

Anderson reportedly acknowledged having an argument with Fortune but denied involvement in her death.

For now, investigators have not publicly disclosed enough evidence to establish what happened to Fortune or whether anyone will ultimately face charges.

A MOTHER OF FOUR REMEMBERED

Those who knew Fortune have remembered her as a devoted mother and a woman of strong faith.

Her family has continued to seek answers while mourning a loss they say has left them devastated.

A GoFundMe campaign established to help with funeral expenses has received widespread support, raising more than $175,000 according to recent reports.

Meanwhile, the questions surrounding Fortune’s final hours remain unanswered.

Who was with her?

What happened before she was found?

And what will the medical examiner’s report ultimately reveal?

THE WAIT FOR ANSWERS CONTINUES

For Fortune’s loved ones, the investigation has become a painful waiting game.

Police say they are continuing to investigate her death as a homicide while awaiting the medical examiner’s findings.

Until those results are released, however, the circumstances surrounding Tasia Fortune’s death remain unresolved.

What happened to the 29-year-old mother of four may ultimately depend on evidence that has yet to be made public — and a forensic report her family has been waiting weeks to see.

For now, they are left with the same question that has haunted them since Aug. 3:

What happened to Tasia Fortune?