Police say Mississippi woman's hanging death from tree was staged

Police in Jackson, Mississippi, testified on Friday that the death of Tasia Fortune, a 29-year-old Black woman found hanging from a tree, was staged. Jackson Police Detective Samuel Dukes told a municipal hearing that Fortune was slain elsewhere and her body was then hung from a tree in a vacant lot. Her body was discovered on 3 August.upi.com

The testimony reframes what happened. The Jackson Police Department said the medical examiner who conducted Fortune's post-mortem examination determined her death was a homicide and that "the scene and the hanging were staged". Officials have not disclosed the exact cause of death or any potential motive behind the staged hanging. Fortune was a mother of four whose sons, aged one to seven, are now living with family and friends.

What the detective testified

Dukes testified before Judge Lilli Evans Bass that investigators believe the killing was linked to a dispute involving drugs, and that Fortune may have been killed over allegations she stole drugs. He said interviews with people familiar with the case indicated Fortune fought her attackers before she was killed. Rather than a racial motivation, the detective testified that illegal narcotics are thought to be at the root of the crime.

Three men are now charged in connection with Fortune's death. Jarques Ratliff, 51, was the first suspect arrested and has pleaded not guilty; he remains in the Hinds County jail without bond. Earnest Lloyd Jr., 25, has also been arrested on murder charges. Eric Clark, 45, surrendered and is charged with murder, Jackson police said in a statement. All three are Black.

Ratliff's attorney disputed the prosecution's conclusions during the hearing, noting there is no surveillance video of the vacant lot where Fortune was found hanging and no evidence showing she was killed elsewhere. Fortune's mother, Christy Spivey, rejected the drug-theft allegations but acknowledged her daughter struggled with addiction. "Tasia has an addiction - had - an addiction problem. She was trying to get better," Spivey said.bbc.co.uk

Where the numbers came from

Spivey said she has more questions than before the update. "Still no cause of death, no date of death - nothing," she said. "What actually killed her?" She said learning her daughter did not die by hanging initially gave her peace, but the latest details left her "starting to break down". She said Fortune was homeless at the time of her death and typically stayed in other people's homes.

The discovery of Fortune's body on 3 August in a vacant lot sparked fears among local residents because of Mississippi's history of racial violence and lynchings. The death left the majority-Black city on edge and lawmakers demanding federal probes. The latest developments, however, have created more confusion rather than answers for the family and community.

Outside court, Spivey told reporters she knew her daughter had died before her body was hung, but what troubled her was learning Fortune had fought for her life. "I know she did. I know my daughter," Spivey said. During Friday's hearing, Ratliff said Fortune had been his friend. Spivey said she hoped police had the right people.

What happens next in court

Ratliff's preliminary hearing is aimed at determining whether prosecutors have sufficient evidence to send the case to a grand jury for possible indictment. The hearing is scheduled to resume on 30 September. Authorities have not publicly disclosed the precise circumstances of Fortune's death or the reason investigators believe her body was subsequently hung from the tree.