Mother shocked after Mississippi police say hanged woman's body was staged post-mortem
Mississippi police say Tasia Fortune, 29, was already dead before her body was placed in a tree to look like a hanging, an incident that had sparked fears in the majority-black city of Jackson. Three people have been arrested, but no cause of death or motive has been disclosed.
Police in Jackson, Mississippi have said that Tasia Fortune, the 29-year-old mother whose body was found hanging from a tree in August, had actually died before her body was placed at the scene, which investigators now describe as staged. The medical examiner ruled her death a homicide.
The original discovery caused widespread alarm in the majority-black city, given the state's history of racial violence and lynchings, prompting lawmakers to call for a federal investigation.
On Friday, police told a court that Fortune's death is believed connected to a drug-related dispute, with a detective suggesting she may have been killed over allegations she stole drugs. Three people, all black, have been arrested, though police have not detailed how they are connected to Fortune.
Fortune's mother, Christy Spivey, told the BBC the new information has left her with more questions than answers. She said learning her daughter had not actually died by hanging initially brought her some peace, since it meant her daughter had not suffered such a gruesome death. But this week's revelations left her shaken again, as no cause or date of death has been shared.
Spivey rejected the drug-theft allegations but acknowledged her daughter had struggled with addiction and was trying to recover. At the time of her death, Fortune was homeless and had been staying with various people. Her four sons, aged one to seven, are now living with a mix of family and friends, with two currently in the adoption process.
