Tasia Fortune Found Hanging in Jackson, Mississippi Prompts Calls for Federal Investigation

A 29‑year‑old Black woman, identified as Tasia Fortune, was discovered hanging from a tree behind a vacant home on the 500 block of Road of Remembrance in Jackson, Mississippi on August 3. Hinds County Coroner Jeramiah Howard confirmed her identity and arranged for the body to be sent to the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy. Councilman Kenneth Stokes of Jackson’s Third Ward wrote to U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger, urging a federal investigation and citing the state’s history of lynchings. Fortune’s aunt, Etta Avolio, launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover burial costs, describing Fortune as a “strong‑minded, big‑hearted, vibrant young woman.”

The case is the sixth instance this year of a Black person found hanging from a tree in the United States, sparking renewed concerns about possible lynching and calls for thorough investigation. Authorities have not yet determined whether foul play was involved. In related local news, Mississippi officials announced plans to clean up and eventually demolish the long‑vacant former Virginia College building in North Jackson, a site previously investigated after a body was found nearby.