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Arrest Made in Death of Black Woman Found Hanged from Tree in Mississippi
Confirmed
In Short: Police in Mississippi have made their first arrest in the case of Tasia Fortune, a black woman found dead and hanged from a tree in Jackson, though the chief of police warns more arrests may follow.
Police in Mississippi have made their first arrest in the case of Tasia Fortune, a black woman found dead and hanged from a tree in Jackson, according to reports. The arrest, made after weeks of inaction, has brought some relief to Fortune's mother, Christy Spivey, who expressed hope that the right person was caught.
Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney stated during a news conference that the medical examiner had confirmed Fortune's cause of death as homicide and that a suspect would be charged with murder. 'That arrest today is an important development in this investigation, but it is not the conclusion,' Brackney said.
The case has raised concerns among locals in Jackson, a majority-black city with a history of racial violence and lynching. Fortune's death has been met with alarm, and more than 50 members of Congress have called for an independent investigation into suspicious deaths of black Americans this year.
The arrest follows weeks of relative silence from local officials and a letter from Spivey to officials about the limited communication and speed of the investigation, which was read during a public city meeting.
What's confirmed
- Police in Mississippi have made their first arrest in the case of Tasia Fortune, a black woman found dead and hanged from a tree in Jackson, according to reports. The arrest, made after weeks of inaction, has brought some relief to Fortune's mother, Christy Spivey, who expressed hope that the right person was caught.
- Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney stated during a news conference that the medical examiner had confirmed Fortune's cause of death as homicide and that a suspect would be charged with murder. 'That arrest today is an important development in this investigation, but it is not the conclusion,' Brackney said.
- The case has raised concerns among locals in Jackson, a majority-black city with a history of racial violence and lynching. Fortune's death has been met with alarm, and more than 50 members of Congress have called for an independent investigation into suspicious deaths of black Americans this year.
- The arrest follows weeks of relative silence from local officials and a letter from Spivey to officials about the limited communication and speed of the investigation, which was read during a public city meeting.
What's still developing
- Tasia Fortune's body was found in the lot of an abandoned home in Jackson in August, but police only announced they were treating her death as a possible homicide earlier this week.
- Police had arrested one man and "additional arrests will be pending as our investigators continue to follow the evidence", she said, adding that they had interviewed 15 people in the case.
- This week, more than 50 members of Congress sent a letter, external to the FBI and justice department, saying they were "extremely alarmed by reports of black people found hanging from trees in numerous states" and calling for an independent investigation into suspicious deaths of black Americans.
- So far this year there have been at least 10 reported hangings of black people in the US, they said, adding that there were more than 70 lynchings documented between 2000 and 2025.
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- Fortune's mother, Christy Spivey, told the BBC that she cried when the police called to update her about the arrest, saying: "I guess I do feel like a little sigh of relief...like a little bit of peace just come over me." "I just hope that they've got the right person," she added.
- Combined with the grim nature of Fortune's death and Mississippi's history of racial lynchings, the lack of information about the case had left the community in shock and fear.