Mother: "She Did Not Do This To Herself" — Family Seeks Answers After Black Woman Found Hanging In Jackson, Mississippi

The mother of 29-year-old Tasia Fortune said Sunday that her daughter's death has "just devastated" the family after Fortune's body was found hanging from a tree on Aug. 3 in Jackson, Mississippi.

"Tasia was strong-minded, she was full of laughs and love, she had faith in God … She had so little and gave so much," Christy Spivey told ABC News. Spivey, who last saw her daughter on July 26, described Fortune as "better than I had seen her in a long time. She was at peace." When asked whether her daughter could have taken her own life, Spivey said emphatically: "She did not do this to herself. I know my daughter and she did not do this to herself."

Investigation Under Way

A Jackson Police Department spokesperson confirmed to ABC News that officers are investigating Fortune's death. The Hinds County Coroner's Office identified the woman as Tasia Fortune, and the Mississippi State Medical Examiner's Office is performing an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.

When reporters asked whether detectives had interviewed persons of interest or could provide additional details about their inquiry, the police spokesperson declined to comment further.

Christy Spivey - PHOTO: The mother of Tasia Fortune, a 29-year-old Black woman whose body was found hanging from a tree on Aug. 3 in Jackson, Mississippi, told ABC News on Sunday afternoon that her daughter's death has "just devastated" her family.

Request For Federal Assistance

Jackson City Council member Kenneth Stokes wrote to U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger requesting federal help in the investigation. In a letter obtained by ABC News, Stokes wrote that local authorities were "in dire need of the assistance of the U.S. Attorney's Office" after an unidentified woman was discovered hanging in the backyard of an abandoned house on the Road of Remembrance; the woman has since been identified as Fortune. A representative for the U.S. Attorney had not immediately responded to requests for comment.

Family and Community Response

Fortune was a mother of four. Her mother said Fortune had traveled from Mississippi to Kentucky for a family reunion in late July. Family members and community leaders are seeking answers as the official investigation and autopsy proceed.

Police are asking anyone with information about the case to contact Crime Stoppers at 601-355-TIPS.

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org for free, confidential support available 24/7.