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Jackson police Detective Samuel Dukes testified in court on Friday that Tasia Fortune was already dead when her body was staged to hang from a tree behind an abandoned home. The detective indicated the 29-year-old’s death stemmed from a dispute related to drugs and that interviews with others revealed she fought hard before being killed. Authorities ruled the death a homicide following an autopsy with the staging confirmed by the medical examiner’s opinion as detailed in testimony covered by CBS News and the BBC.
Fortune’s body was found on August 3 hanging from a tree on the grounds of an abandoned home in Jackson Mississippi. The discovery initially sparked widespread fears in the community due to the state’s deep history of racial violence and lynchings. Her mother Christy Spivey recalled being told by officials that her daughter was dead before the hanging and that the incident was drug related while speaking to reporters outside the Jackson Police Department.
Two Black men have been arrested on murder charges in the case. Jarques Ratliff aged 51 pleaded not guilty and is being held without bond while Earnest Lloyd Jr aged 25 was arrested this week Jackson police reported. A warrant has been issued for a third individual as the investigation continues with police chief RaShall Brackney stating it remains active.
The revelation follows initial community concerns in the majority-Black city where the state’s history of lynchings heightened worries after the discovery multiple news organizations including CNN noted. This marks the third such incident in Mississippi in less than a year involving bodies found hanging from trees. Nationally several similar cases have been reported with some ruled suicides according to an investigation by Yahoo News.
Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney said in a statement that the department’s language has been consistent in describing how Fortune was found in a hanging position. The chief previously announced that additional arrests would be made as investigators interviewed 15 people in the case. Brackney emphasized that the investigation remains active following the medical examiner’s confirmation of homicide earlier this month.
Spivey who last saw her daughter on July 26 before she traveled to a family reunion described Fortune as a loving mother of four who had faced homelessness in recent years as reported by CNN. The family has been seeking answers since the August discovery with Spivey noting the coroner told her they were not treating this as an actual hanging. Police have not disclosed the exact cause of death beyond it being a homicide.
