Contested death (2000 to present)

Tasia Fortune

Homicide, chargedAug 3, 2026 · Age 29 · Jackson, MS

Who Tasia was

Tasia Fortune was 29 and the mother of four children. She grew up in western Kentucky. She and her siblings spent part of their childhood in foster care, and at 16 she moved to Mississippi. She lived mostly in Jackson for the last decade of her life.

Her obituary calls her intelligent and talented. She was a star cross-country runner and skipped her junior year of high school. She had two sisters, and she was planning to start a cleaning business.

Faith ran through her life, and she stayed close to her family in Kentucky. In late July 2026 she went home for a family reunion, where they went swimming and out to eat, and her mother said she seemed better than she had in a long time. She was buried at West End Cemetery in Greenville, Kentucky, a historically Black cemetery.

Her family describes her as loving, caring and strong-minded, with a good heart. Her father says her children were her priority. Her mother remembers her as the light of the room.

Portrait of Tasia Fortune — Courtesy of the Fortune family · where it was shared

In the words of those who knew them

“Tasia was strong-minded, she was full of laughs and love, she had faith in God. She had so little and gave so much.”Her mother, Christy Spivey, to ABC News (via theGrio) · source
“She had a good heart. She just had a hard life.”Her mother, Christy Spivey · source
“She had her ups and downs, but she loved her kids, she loved her family, and she knew her family loved her.”Her father, Antonio Fortune · source
“I want it to be affiliated with coming together and love and joy because she was the light of the room.”Her mother, Christy Spivey · source
“Even in her darkest hours, she never stopped believing in her Savior.”Her family, in her obituary (as quoted by CNN) · source

What happened

Tasia Fortune, 29, a mother of four who'd lived in Jackson for more than a decade, last saw her mother on July 26, 2026, at a family reunion in Kentucky, her mother told ABC News. On Aug. 3 she was found dead in a tree behind a vacant house in the 500 block of Road of Remembrance in west Jackson. Reports haven't said who found her. Police called it an active death investigation, and City Council member Kenneth Stokes wrote to the U.S. attorney asking for federal help. "I know my daughter and she did not do this to herself," her mother, Christy Spivey, said.

On Sept. 10 the state medical examiner ruled the death a homicide. The next day police announced that a 51-year-old man had been charged with murder; he pleaded not guilty and was denied bond. A 25-year-old man was later charged with murder and denied bond, and a 45-year-old man who turned himself in on Sept. 25 was held on a $5 million bond. At preliminary hearings, a detective testified that Tasia was killed elsewhere after a dispute over drugs and that the hanging was staged. Spivey said she doesn't believe her daughter stole drugs or that race was a factor.

On Sept. 30 a municipal judge found probable cause and sent the case against the 51-year-old to a Hinds County grand jury. DNA results were pending, police have said more arrests may come, and her exact cause of death hasn't been released.

The case

Where found: Tree behind an abandoned house
Official finding: Homicide (Mississippi medical examiner, Sept 10, 2026)
Time to finding: 38 days from discovery to homicide ruling
Investigation: Jackson Police. Three men have been charged in her killing: a 51-year-old man charged with murder and denied bond; a 25-year-old man charged with murder and denied bond; and a 45-year-old man who surrendered Sept 25 and was held on a $5 million bond. On Sept 30, 2026, after an evidentiary hearing, a Jackson Municipal Court judge found enough evidence for the case against the first man charged to move forward. He remains jailed until the case goes to a Hinds County grand jury (WLBT/WLOX). Shoes recovered in the case were sent to the Mississippi State Crime Lab; no results have been reported.
Family position: Her family said from the start that she did not take her own life. Her mother said she does not believe the killing was racially motivated and has vowed to fight for justice.
Public evidence: Medical examiner homicide ruling. A detective testified that she was killed before being placed at the scene and that the hanging was staged. Three murder charges. DNA testing under way. Cause of death not yet disclosed.
Federal review: A Jackson city councilman asked the U.S. Attorney's Office for help; no federal investigation has been reported. Named in Pressley letter to DOJ/FBI (Sept 2026).
Last verified: 2026-11-14

Verification note: Early reporting named a different person of interest who has not been charged in her death. This tracker doesn't name him. One outlet (WLOX) gave July 31 as the discovery date; every other source says Aug 3.

Sources

Record history

Nov 14, 2026 · Reviewed update
Record updated
- Investigation: Jackson Police. Three men have been charged in her killing: a 51-year-old man charged with murder and denied bond; a 25-year-old man charged with murder and denied bond; and a 45-year-old man who surrendered Sept 25 and was held on a $5 million bond. On Sept 30, 2026, after an evidentiary hearing, a Jackson Municipal Court judge found enough evidence for the case against the first man charged to move forward. He remains jailed until the case goes to a Hinds County grand jury (WLBT/WLOX). Shoes recovered in the case were sent to the Mississippi State Crime Lab; no results have been reported.
Oct 18, 2026 · Reviewed update
Record updated
- What happened updated
- What happened sources updated
Oct 18, 2026 · Reviewed update
Portrait added (Courtesy of the Fortune family)
Oct 18, 2026 · Reviewed update
Record updated
- Life updated
- Remembered updated
- Life sources updated
Oct 18, 2026 · Reviewed update
Record updated
- Investigation: Jackson Police. Three men have been charged in her killing: a 51-year-old man charged with murder and denied bond; a 25-year-old man charged with murder and denied bond; and a 45-year-old man who surrendered Sept 25 and was held on a $5 million bond. On Sept 30 a municipal judge found probable cause against the first man and sent the case to a Hinds County grand jury. A detective testified that she was killed after a dispute over drugs. Police say more arrests may come.
- Family position: Her family said from the start that she did not take her own life. Her mother said she does not believe the killing was racially motivated and has vowed to fight for justice.
- Federal review: A Jackson city councilman asked the U.S. Attorney's Office for help; no federal investigation has been reported. Named in Pressley letter to DOJ/FBI (Sept 2026).
- Verification note: Early reporting named a different person of interest who has not been charged in her death. This tracker doesn't name him. One outlet (WLOX) gave July 31 as the discovery date; every other source says Aug 3.
Oct 18, 2026 · Reviewed update
Record updated
- Investigation: Jackson Police. Three people have been charged with murder: a 51-year-old man (arrested Sept 11, pleaded not guilty and was denied bond), a 25-year-old (arrested Sept 22, denied bond at a Sept 23 initial appearance) and a 45-year-old man who turned himself in Sept 25 (bond set at $5 million on Sept 28). A detective testified the killing followed a dispute over drugs. Police say more arrests are expected. The case has not yet been presented to a grand jury.
- Public evidence: Medical examiner homicide ruling. A detective testified that she was killed before being placed at the scene and that the hanging was staged. Three murder charges. DNA testing under way. Cause of death not yet disclosed.
- Verification note: Early reporting named a different person of interest who was never charged in the death. This tracker names neither. Mississippi Today reports the 51-year-old was arrested Sept 11; a WLBT timeline lists Sept 14, which other outlets give as his bond hearing date.
Oct 15, 2026 · Initial record
Initial record from prototype research