Police in Jackson, Mississippi, have confirmed they are investigating the death of Tasia Fortune, 29, as a potential homicide. This confirmation comes more than a month after her body was found hanging from a tree in the lot of an abandoned home on August 3.
Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney stated on Tuesday that the department has been investigating the case as a homicide from the beginning. She clarified that any pending death case is treated as a "potential homicide" to preserve crucial evidence while awaiting autopsy results. The official cause of death for Fortune has not yet been confirmed.
Fortune's mother, Christy Spivey, has expressed anger and frustration over the lack of information from officials. She described multiple unanswered enquiries to police, with the first update in weeks coming during a public city meeting on Tuesday evening.
The discovery of Fortune's body has heightened local concern, particularly given Mississippi's history of racial violence and lynchings. Online petitions calling for more transparency have garnered tens of thousands of signatures, and members of the US Congress have requested federal intervention.