Mother of woman found hanging in tree shocked as police say body was staged

ByBrandon Drenon and Christal Hayes. Warning: This story contains distressing details.

Key points

• Tasia Fortune, a 29-year-old mother of four, was discovered hanging from a tree at an abandoned home in Jackson in August.
• Police informed a court on Friday that Fortune's death was thought to be as of a drug-related dispute.
• "I have more questions now than what I did before, " her mother Christy Spivey informed the BBC.
• Authorities have not disclosed the exact cause of death or shared any potential motive behind the allegedly staged hanging.
• Three individuals have been arrested in the case, all of whom are black.

For context, the mother of a woman discovered hanging in a tree in Mississippi has spoken of her shock after authorities stated they believed her daughter was dead before her body was placed at the allegedly "staged" crime scene.

In practice, the discovery sparked widespread fears in the majority-black city since of the state's deep history of racial violence and lynchings. But on Friday, police remarked that Fortune had been dead before her body was hanged from the tree.

According to The Jackson Police Department, the medical examiner who conducted Fortune's post-mortem examination had determined that her death was a homicide and that "the scene and the hanging were staged".

"I was hoping to be more relieved, " Spivey remarked, adding that the police had not specified how the three suspects were connected to her daughter – or why her death was allegedly staged in this way.

"Still no cause of death, no date of death – nothing, " she remarked. "What actually killed her?"

Fortune's death left the local community on edge and lawmakers demanding federal probes. But the latest developments have created more confusion.

Spivey informed the BBC that getting the update from the coroner that her daughter did not die by hanging initially provided her peace – at least her daughter did not die in such a gruesome manner, she thought.

"When the police called me, I started crying and thanked them and felt a little more at peace than I had before, " she remarked. "I just hope they've got the right person/people."

When the latest details surrounding her death emerged this week, she remarked she was "starting to break down".

Police informed a court on Friday that Fortune's death was thought to be as of a drug-related dispute. A detective remarked Fortune may have been killed over allegations she stole drugs.

Spivey rejected those allegations, but did acknowledge her daughter suffered from addiction.

"Tasia has an addiction – had – an addiction difficulty. She was trying to obtain better, " Spivey stated.

"If she still was doing drugs. It I'm sure she probably was, she still didn't deserve to be done like that. Nobody does."

She remarked her daughter was homeless at the time of her death, but typically bounced around other people's homes.

Her four sons, whose ages range from one to seven, are now living with a mix of family and friends. Two are in the process of being adopted.

Taken together, the developments around mother of woman found hanging in tree shocked as police say body point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.