Kenneth Stokes asked the U.S. attorney to assist after Fortune was found hanging from a tree behind a vacant Jackson home.
JACKSON, Miss. — A Jackson City Council member has asked the U.S. Attorney’s Office to assist in the investigation of 29-year-old Tasia Fortune’s death after she was found hanging from a tree behind a vacant home, a discovery that has raised questions while an autopsy remains pending.
Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes sent the request Wednesday to U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger for the Southern District of Mississippi. Stokes asked federal authorities for help determining what happened to the woman, who had not yet been publicly identified when he wrote the letter. The Hinds County Coroner’s Office later identified her as Fortune.
Stokes’ letter referred to Fortune’s death as a murder and asked who killed her and why. Those statements represent the councilman’s characterization of the case, not a finding announced by investigators. Jackson police have not said whether foul play is suspected, and the cause and manner of Fortune’s death have not been released.
Fortune was found Monday, Aug. 3, behind a vacant home in the 500 block of Road of Remembrance. Hinds County Coroner Jeramiah Howard said her body was hanging from a tree. Officials later said Fortune was 29 and that her next of kin had been notified.
Her body was sent to the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy. Investigators have not announced when the results will be available. The findings could be central to determining whether Fortune’s death resulted from a crime, suicide, an accident or another cause.
The manner in which Fortune was found has also drawn attention because of Mississippi’s history of racial violence and lynching. Fortune was Black, and Stokes has said the circumstances deserve close scrutiny regardless of whether investigators ultimately find any racial motive. Police have announced no evidence establishing such a motive.
That historical context has made careful separation of confirmed facts from speculation especially important. Authorities have confirmed Fortune’s identity, the location where she was found and the ongoing investigation. They have not publicly identified a suspect, established a motive or classified the death as a homicide.
Jackson police have released little information from the investigation. Department public information officer Tommie Brown told Mississippi Today that police could not release further details because the case remains active. An incident report also had not been made public.
Fortune’s sister, LaToni Fortune, said she last saw her sister in July when Fortune returned to Kentucky to visit family. It remains unclear how long Fortune was behind the vacant Jackson home before neighbors noticed her and authorities were called.
There was no public confirmation Friday that the U.S. Attorney’s Office had joined the investigation or what role federal authorities might take. Jackson police continue handling the death investigation as officials await the medical examiner’s findings.
Author note: Last updated August 7, 2026.