Woman killed in drug dispute, body staged as hanging in Mississippi

Police in Jackson, Mississippi, have charged two men with murder after a woman's body was found hanging from a tree on August 3, 2026. The victim, Tasia Fortune, was 29 years old. A detective testified that Fortune was already dead before someone placed her body in the tree. The medical examiner agreed that the hanging was staged. Authorities say the killing came from a drug dispute, and witnesses said Fortune fought hard before she died. Because Mississippi has a long history of racial violence, the discovery alarmed many residents in the majority-Black city. Police later ruled out a racial motive. A warrant has been issued for a third suspect. The exact cause of Fortune's death has not been made public.