Mississippi police give shocking new detail after black woman found hanged in tree

Mississippi police give shocking new detail after black woman found hanged in tree Mum-of-four Tasia Fortune, 29, had struggled with homelessness in the years before her death, though her mum claimed her daughter had tried to turn her life around Police have issued a shocking update after a Black woman was found hanged in a tree. Mississippi detective Samuel Dukes told a Jackson court yesterday that officers believe Tasia Fortune was already dead before her body was hung in a tree as part of a "staged" lynching. The 29-year-old's body was found at an abandoned home in the Mississippi capital, Jackson, last month. Police believe Tasia was killed in a drugs-related dispute. Officials have not revealed her cause of death, though it has been ruled as a homicide. Jackson police arrested three men in connection with the death and they were later charged with murder. Eric Clark, aged 45, turned himself in on Friday and he was also charged with murder and is due to appear in court on September 28. Earnest Lloyd Jr, 25, was apprehended in connection with the case earlier this week. Jarques Ratcliff, 51, remains in custody without bond and has pleaded not guilty. All men who were arrested are Black. The case of Tasia drew widespread concern across the state and beyond due to history of lynching in the US. Historical organisations recorded thousands of lynching cases across the American south following the end of the Civil War up until the end of WW2. Tasia's mum Christy Spivey told the BBC she remembered the coroner told her they were "not treating this as actual hanging." They told her the mum-of-four was dead before she was placed in the tree. Speaking to the press outside Jackson Police Department yesterday, Christy said she believed her daughter fought for her life in the moments leading up to her death. She said: "I know she did. I know my daughter...I just hope they have the right people." Christy added Tasia had struggled with being homeless in recent years and was not sure where she was living at the time of her death. She claimed Tasia had spoken about starting a cleaning business and getting her life back on track. Tasia leaves behind children aged seven, five, four and one.