Mississippi detective says Tasia Fortune was dead before body was staged in tree

A Mississippi detective told a court on Friday that police believe Tasia Fortune was already dead before her body was placed hanging in a tree at an abandoned home in Jackson in August — a detail that raises new questions about the circumstances surrounding her death.

Fortune, 29 and a mother of four, was found dead at an abandoned property. Her mother, Erin Pysher, has publicly maintained that her daughter went to the wrong backyard by mistake, saying she was on the phone with friends and then was shot.

According to police news releases, the medical examiner determined Fortune's death was a homicide. The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office has identified the man shot as Glenwood Earl Pysher IV, though the investigation remains active and no charges have been announced.

The case has drawn sustained attention because of the intersection of a police shooting with unanswered questions about what happened before Fortune's body was found. The District Attorney's Office said it is continuing to investigate and will provide an update when complete.

The Courant is reporting what authorities and the family have stated; the investigation is ongoing and no conclusions about fault have been reached. Readers should note that the family's account — that Fortune went to the wrong backyard — has not been independently verified by the Courant.

Reporting by BBC News. Read the original report: Black woman found hanging from tree was dead before body was 'staged'.