Police investigate death of Tasia Fortune, found hanging from tree, as a homicide
Police Investigate Death of Tasia Fortune as Homicide
Earthguardiansonline.com – Police investigate death of Tasia Fortune as a homicide after the 29-year-old Black woman was found hanging from a tree outside an abandoned Jackson home in August. Investigators are awaiting a final report from the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office.
Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney told the Jackson City Council that detectives have treated Fortune’s death as a homicide investigation from the beginning, unless medical findings determine otherwise. The case had previously been described as a death pending investigation.
“Jackson Police Department has been investigating this case from day one as a homicide, until we hear otherwise from the medical examiner’s office,” Brackney said.
Medical Examiner’s Findings Are Still Pending
The state medical examiner performed an autopsy on August 11. At the time Brackney addressed council members, police had not received final conclusions on the cause and manner of Fortune’s death.
The Mississippi Department of Public Safety, which oversees the medical examiner’s office, has said autopsy reports are not considered overdue or backlogged until more than 90 days have passed. Reports may require additional time for testing, observations and review before they are finalized.
Officials do not publicly discuss the status or findings of individual autopsy reports. Brackney also urged the public not to draw conclusions before investigators and medical examiners complete their work.
“There is a lot of misinformation out there about this case and other ones,” she said.
Family Seeks Answers From Investigators
Fortune’s family has called for more information as the investigation continues. Her mother, Christy Spivey, wrote a letter read during the Jackson City Council meeting describing her frustration with the limited updates she had received.
“I have no more answers from one day of this investigation,” Spivey wrote. “The detectives are like they are on a prerecorded message, just saying the same thing over and over. And now it’s gone to silence.”
Brackney said detectives have remained in regular contact with Spivey and her husband, while the department awaits the medical examiner’s report. In an update posted to the family’s GoFundMe page, Spivey said she contacted City Councilman Kenneth Stokes after becoming concerned about the communication from police.
She wrote that police publicly confirmed during the council meeting that they were treating the case as a homicide. Spivey also said Fortune’s children have their future secured as relatives continue seeking justice.
Community Concerns Surround the Case
The decision to have police investigate death of Tasia Fortune as a homicide has prompted concern among residents and elected officials. Mississippi’s history of racially motivated violence involving hangings has added urgency to calls for a thorough and transparent investigation.
Jackson City Council President Vernon Hartley said the city must allow the inquiry to reach its conclusion and respond to its findings.
“We need to pursue (Fortune’s) investigation to its final conclusion and whatever the results, we need to address those results,” Hartley said.
No arrests had been announced in connection with Fortune’s death as of the information released in August. The father of one of Fortune’s children was arrested shortly after her body was found on unrelated weapons charges and remains jailed, according to records.
FAQ: Tasia Fortune Investigation
Is Tasia Fortune’s death officially ruled a homicide? Jackson police say they are investigating the death as a homicide, but the final cause and manner of death remain pending with the state medical examiner.
When was the autopsy conducted? The Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy on August 11.
Have police made an arrest in the case? No arrest had been announced in connection with Fortune’s death as of the latest information released in August.
