Nationwide — Tasia Fortune, a 29-year-old African American woman from Jackson, Mississippi, was found dead hanging from a tree behind an abandoned home. Police are investigating her death and whether foul play was involved, as her family questions what happened and calls for justice.
Police responded Monday night, Aug. 3, to the 500 block of Road of Remembrance in Jackson after receiving a report about a person found at the location. Officers arrived and discovered the body of an unidentified Black woman in the backyard of a vacant house.
Authorities later identified the woman as Fortune. Hinds County Coroner Jeramiah Howard confirmed her identity and said investigators found her hanging from a tree behind the abandoned home, according to the Mississippi Free Press.
The Jackson Police Department said crime scene investigators were working to determine the circumstances surrounding the death. Officials have not said whether they suspect foul play.
Howard said Fortune’s body was transported to the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy. The examination will help determine the cause and manner of her death.
Fortune’s family is calling for answers, saying they do not believe she would have taken her own life. They described her as a “strong-minded, big-hearted, vibrant young woman whose life was taken at just twenty-nine years old.”
A GoFundMe campaign has been created to help cover Fortune’s burial expenses as her family mourns her unexpected death. It has so far raised nearly $3,000.
The investigation remains ongoing as authorities continue looking into the circumstances surrounding Fortune’s death. Anyone with information about the case has been encouraged to contact local law enforcement.