Tasia Fortune: Hanging of black woman in tree 'staged' after she was killed in drug dispute, US police say

The hanging of a black woman in a tree was "staged" after she was apparently killed in a drug dispute, US police say.

Investigators believe Tasia Fortune was already dead before her body was hanged from a tree behind an abandoned home in Jackson, Mississippi.

Authorities have not revealed the 29-year-old's exact cause of death, but are treating it as homicide and say she could have been killed at another location.

Her body was found in the 500 block of Road of Remembrance on 3 August, and officials believe she may have been dead for two or three days before she was discovered.

Two men, both of whom are black, have been arrested on murder charges and a warrant has been issued for the arrest of a third person.

Jackson police detective Samuel Dukes told a court hearing on Friday that the hanging was "staged" and the motive for the killing appears to have been a drug dispute.

Jarques Ratliff, 51, was the first person arrested over the case.

At a court hearing earlier this month, Ratliff was denied bail after he pleaded not guilty. He remains in custody in Hinds County jail.

The second suspect, 25-year-old Earnest Lloyd Jr, was arrested this week.

Authorities have not said why they believe Ms Fortune's body was hanged after she was already dead.

Police said at Friday's hearing there may have been an issue over missing illegal drugs.

Ratliff told the court that Ms Fortune was his friend. His lawyer Toney Baldwin said he wants the "truth about what happened to come out".

"My client said he's not involved and that's absolutely what I believe," he said.

The case has attracted widespread attention because the scene recalled lynchings in the Southern state, which has a long and troubled history of racial violence.

Ms Fortune's mother Christy Spivey has said her daughter, who had four children, struggled with homelessness in recent years.

She also said she was not sure where Ms Fortune was living at the time of her death.

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Ms Spivey previously told ABC News she last saw her daughter on 26 July 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".

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

"She was better than I had seen her in a long time," she told the network. "She was at peace."

(c) Sky News 2026: Tasia Fortune: Hanging of black woman in tree 'staged' after she was killed in drug dis