Police investigate death of Tasia Fortune, found hanging from tree, as a homicide

Police investigate death of Tasia Fortune in Jackson

Activelifezero.com – Police investigate death of Tasia Fortune as a homicide after the 29-year-old was found hanging from a tree outside an abandoned house in Jackson in August. Investigators are awaiting final findings from the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office on the cause and manner of her death.

Jackson police initially described the case as a death pending investigation. Chief RaShall Brackney later told the Jackson City Council that detectives had treated Fortune’s death as a homicide from the beginning unless the medical examiner’s determination shows otherwise.

“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.

Family seeks answers from investigators

Fortune’s mother, Christy Spivey, expressed frustration in a letter read at a City Council meeting, saying the family had not received clear updates about the investigation. She said she had struggled to get answers from detectives as the case continued.

“I have no more answers from one day of this investigation,” Spivey wrote. “The detectives are like they are on a prerecorded message, just saying the same thing over and over. And now it’s gone to silence.”

Spivey later wrote on the family’s GoFundMe page that she contacted City Councilman Kenneth Stokes because she believed police had been unresponsive. She said the public acknowledgment that authorities were handling the case as a homicide provided information the family had not previously understood.

Brackney said detectives have remained in regular contact with Spivey and her husband. However, she said the department cannot provide a final conclusion before the medical examiner’s office completes its review.

Autopsy report remains pending

The State Medical Examiner’s Office performed Fortune’s autopsy on August 11. Brackney said she had contacted the office’s director and the commissioner responsible for oversight but had not received a final determination.

The Mississippi Department of Public Safety has said cases are not considered overdue or backlogged unless more than 90 days have passed. The department said final reports can take time because medical personnel must evaluate test results, investigative evidence and other relevant findings.

As police investigate death of Tasia Fortune, her family has continued to call for justice. Spivey said Fortune’s children will have their future secured while relatives wait for answers about what happened.

No arrests announced in Fortune investigation

Police said in August that no arrests had been made in connection with Fortune’s death. The father of one of her children was arrested shortly after her body was discovered on unrelated weapons charges and remains in custody, according to jail records.

Brackney urged residents not to draw conclusions before investigators receive all medical findings. She said misinformation has circulated about Fortune’s case and other deaths.

“There is a lot of misinformation out there about this case and other ones,” Brackney said.

City Council President Vernon Hartley said authorities should pursue the investigation until it reaches a complete conclusion, regardless of the medical examiner’s final ruling.

“We need to pursue (Fortune’s) investigation to its final conclusion and whatever the results, we need to address those results,” Hartley said.

Community concern in Jackson and Mississippi

The circumstances of Fortune’s death have drawn heightened attention because of Mississippi’s history of racial violence involving hangings. Residents and local officials have also pointed to other recent hanging deaths in the state that authorities ruled were suicides.

Stokes said people in his ward have repeatedly asked for more information about Fortune’s death, including what happened before she was found and whether anyone could be responsible.

“They’re concerned because they’re saying no answers have been given as to what happened, who did what, or anything else, and everybody wants to know what happened,” Stokes said.

The case follows the deaths of 21-year-old Trey Reed, a Black student at Delta State University in Cleveland, and Cory Zukatis, whose cases were among recent hanging deaths in Mississippi that received public attention.

Jackson FAQ

Is Tasia Fortune’s death being investigated as a homicide?

Yes. Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney said detectives have investigated the death as a homicide from the start, pending the medical examiner’s final findings.

Has the medical examiner issued a final ruling?

No final determination had been announced. The State Medical Examiner’s Office completed an autopsy on August 11 and continues to review the case.

Have police made an arrest in the case?

Police said no arrests had been made in connection with Fortune’s death. A man connected to Fortune through one of her children was arrested on unrelated weapons charges.