Tasia Fortune Laid to Rest in Kentucky as Mississippi Authorities Investigate Her Death
Greenville, Ky. — Tasia Fortune was laid to rest Saturday in the rolling grounds of West End Cemetery, a historic Black cemetery in this small Kentucky town. The service at nearby Tucker Funeral Home came just over two weeks after her body was found hanging from a tree outside an abandoned house in Jackson, Mississippi.
Fortune, 29, had lived in Jackson for the past 10 years, but her roots were in Kentucky. Her family hopes she is remembered for her intelligence, her talent, and her faith, even as investigators continue to piece together what happened in the final days of her life.
Jackson Police have classified Fortune's case as a death pending investigation, and the Mississippi State Medical Examiner's Office conducted an autopsy last week. Those results have not been released, and authorities have not said whether they suspect foul play. In the absence of official answers, speculation has spread quickly online.
The case has drawn heightened scrutiny because of Mississippi's painful history of racial violence, and because two other hangings in the state were ruled suicides in recent months. The death of Nolan Xavier Wells, off Mississippi's Gulf Coast last month, drew widespread criticism over the handling of that investigation and has led to broader questions about how such cases are examined. Civil rights voices and online observers have pressed for transparency in Fortune's death as well.
Fortune's mother, Christy Spivey, told ABC News that her daughter was a devoted mother of four and showed no signs of distress when the family gathered in Kentucky last month for a reunion. "She did not do this to herself," Spivey said. "I know my daughter, and she did not do this to herself."
Jackson police acknowledged the "significant public attention" and "speculation circulating across social media" in a statement, urging patience until the medical examiner's review is complete. Mayor John Horhn echoed that caution. "People are upset about it. Quite naturally, they should be," Horhn told WAPT. "But we're not going to jump to conclusions."
Officers responded to an abandoned home on August 3 and found a body later identified as Fortune hanging in the backyard, according to police and the Associated Press. No arrests have been made in connection with her death. Jail records show that the father of one of her children was arrested on unrelated weapons charges shortly after her body was found.
Tony Anderson, the man's brother, told CNN the house where Fortune's body was found is next door to his brother's home. Anderson said Fortune often visited and had remained in contact, but he said he does not believe his brother was involved. "He's not the type of person," Anderson said.
The overgrown backyard where Fortune was discovered has since become a memorial. The Associated Press reported that a pink-and-white display now marks the spot, with rainbow pinwheels, white flowers, and teddy bears surrounding a photograph of Fortune.
Her obituary remembered her as "intelligent and talented" — a runner who skipped her junior year of high school and competed as a star cross-country athlete. It also described a life that was not always easy. "There were highs and lows," the obituary said, but Fortune's "unwavering faith" remained constant. "Even in her darkest hours, she never stopped believing in her Savior," it read.
As the investigation continues, the family has asked that Fortune be remembered not by the circumstances of her death, but by the life she lived. On Saturday, that is the memory they carried with them into the cemetery.