Christy Spivey is seeking answers regarding the death of her daughter, Tasia Fortune, a Black woman whose body was found hanging from a tree in Mississippi weeks ago. Fortune's death has intensified community concerns about potential racial violence and has led to calls for independent and federal investigations into the circumstances surrounding her demise and similar cases in the state.
Spivey last saw her daughter, who had lived in Mississippi for about a decade, in late July when Fortune visited for a family reunion in Kentucky. The next time Spivey saw her daughter was at a funeral home, days before the burial.
Fortune's death is the third incident in Mississippi in less than a year where a person was found hanged from a tree. In September 2025, a Black man and a white person were discovered deceased on the same day. Both cases were ruled suicides, though the mother of one of the deceased individuals disputes that finding.
Frustrated residents have initiated online petitions. One calls for an independent investigation into Dr. Staci Turner, Mississippi's chief medical examiner, concerning her handling of recent cases involving people of color. Another petition requests the FBI to investigate Fortune's death.
Jackson City Councilman Kenneth Stokes has also voiced concerns about the police investigation, stating he has never seen officers at the residence where Fortune was believed to have lived. Stokes emphasized the importance of this case, writing to federal prosecutors at the Mississippi US attorney's office and the FBI weeks ago to urge that the investigation was "in dire need of assistance." He has not yet received a response.
US Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett has similarly requested federal intervention, sending a letter to the US Department of Justice. She asked for an investigation into recent deaths in Mississippi, including Fortune's, referring to them as "possible cases of modern-day lynchings" and citing the state's "appalling historical reputation of violent terrorism against black Americans."
Nationally, several other cases have emerged involving Black Americans found hanged from trees. In North Carolina alone, four such incidents have occurred this year, with three ruled suicides and an autopsy pending for the fourth.
Brandon King, president of the student National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) chapter at Jackson State University, noted that the mystery surrounding Fortune's death and the limited updates from authorities have made students "extra cautious." He expressed a feeling of vulnerability, particularly in the state capital, where safety is expected.
Spivey, overwhelmed by grief, initially considered cremation for her daughter but ultimately chose burial. She stated her hope for updates in the investigation that might necessitate exhuming her daughter's body.