Police question person of interest after Mississippi woman found hanging from tree

A 29-year-old Black woman from Mississippi was found hanging from a tree behind an abandoned home in Jackson last week.

The body was discovered Aug. 3 in the 500 block of Road of Remembrance, the Jackson Police Department said in a statement.

The Hinds County Coroner’s Office identified the woman as Tasia Fortune. Police said the circumstances surrounding her death remain under investigation.

“This is an active and ongoing investigation,” the police department said. “We will provide updates as new details develop.”

Terence Anderson, 65, who is said to be a person of interest in connection with Fortune’s death, was taken into custody on an unrelated weapons charge, NBC affiliate WLBT of Jackson reported.

Anderson’s brother, Tony Anderson, confirmed the arrest to NBC News. He said Fortune and his brother have a 5-year-old son together and that the child lived with Terence.

He also said he does not think his brother was involved in Fortune’s death.

“Sometimes they’ll have a few occasions where they may get into it or whatever, but that was about it,” Tony Anderson said. “They had their good days, their bad days, but I don’t think he done nothing like that. The autopsy will tell actually what happened to her.”

Christy Spivey, Fortune’s mother, told ABC News that she last saw her daughter July 26 at a family reunion in Kentucky.

“This has just devastated us,” she said, remembering her daughter as someone who “was strong-minded” and “full of laughs and love.”

Spivey said that the last time she saw her daughter she seemed to be in good spirits.

“She was better than I had seen her in a long time,” she told the station. “She was at peace.”

Spivey said she does not believe Fortune died by suicide.

“She did not do this to herself,” she said. “I know my daughter and she did not do this to herself.”

Spivey could not immediately be reached for comment Monday. The State Medical Examiner’s Office said it will conduct an autopsy and release its findings once the investigation is complete.

Fortune’s death has left some people searching for answers.

Ward 3 City Council member Kenneth Stokes said in a letter to U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger that the city was in “dire need of assistance” while the case is investigated, WLBT reported .

During a recent court appearance, detectives said Terence Anderson had been interviewed about Fortune’s death, the news station reported.

He denied any involvement but told police that he had an argument with Fortune, according to WLBT.

Tony Anderson told NBC News his brother is a convicted felon but had been out of trouble for years and has a job working as a painter. “He pretty much looked after his little boy and worked,” he said.

Tony also said Fortune had a substance abuse problem and was living at the abandoned home where her body was found.

Jackson police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 or go to 988lifeline.org to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources .