JACKSON, Miss. — The family of 29-year-old Tasia Fortune is seeking answers after her body was found hanging from a tree behind a vacant home in west Jackson on the evening of Aug. 3.
Hinds County Coroner Jeramiah Howard identified the woman as Fortune. Her body was discovered in the 500 block of Road of Remembrance. Jackson police responded around 9:05 p.m. that Monday and located the body of an unidentified Black female at the scene, according to a department statement released that evening. The Mississippi Free Press reported the Hinds County Coroner’s Office publicly identified Fortune on Thursday.
Howard confirmed to local reporters that Fortune was found hanging in a tree in the backyard of the vacant residence. Her body was transported to the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death. Those results have not been released.
Jackson police are treating the matter as an active death investigation. Officials have not said whether they suspect foul play and have released few additional details. No incident report was made public as of Thursday, and police have not announced any suspects or persons of interest.
Fortune’s family has said the last time they saw her was in July, when she returned to Kentucky to visit relatives before traveling back to Mississippi. Her sister, identified in public messages as LaToni, wrote that Fortune “didn’t deserve that” and that “nobody deserves to be murdered and left for dead.”
Etta Avolio, Fortune’s aunt, organized a GoFundMe campaign to cover burial expenses, per REVOLT. The page describes Fortune as a “strong-minded, big-hearted, vibrant young woman” and a beloved daughter, sister and friend. Funds are to be withdrawn by her mother for final arrangements. The campaign had raised more than $3,100 toward a $5,500 goal by early Friday.
Jackson City Councilman Kenneth Stokes, who represents Ward 3, sent a letter to U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger of the Southern District of Mississippi requesting federal assistance. According to WAPT 16, Stokes wrote that the community needed details on “by whom she was murdered, the motive for her murder, the confirmed name of the deceased, her permanent address, as well as other pertinent information.”
Stokes later told local media that even if there is no racial element to the death, Mississippi’s history of lynching requires public officials to state clearly that such an act is unacceptable. He said the Jackson Fire Department used a ladder truck to recover the body from the tree and planned to meet with the fire chief.
Neighbors in the area expressed shock at the discovery. One resident, Violet Wilson, told reporters it was “unnatural” and left her questioning whether to remain in the neighborhood.
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Investigators have not disclosed how long Fortune’s body had been at the location before neighbors found it and called police. One local television report cited investigators estimating three to four days, but official statements from police and the coroner’s office have not confirmed that timeframe.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Jackson Police Department at 601-960-1800 or Crime Stoppers at 601-355-8477.
The case remains under investigation. The autopsy findings are expected to help establish the cause and manner of Fortune’s death.
