Black woman found hanging from tree was dead before body was 'staged', police say

Police in the US state of Mississippi have said that they believe a black woman was already dead before her body was "staged" and placed hanging in a tree. The disclosure was made in court by a detective on Friday, who also said they believed Tasia Fortune, a mother of four, had been killed in a dispute related to drugs. The 29-year-old's body was found hanging from a tree on the grounds of an abandoned home in Jackson in August. The discovery sparked widespread fears in the majority-black city, due to the state's deep history of racial violence and lynchings. After weeks of speculation and demands for information, police made multiple arrests.