Community memorial grows for Mississippi woman found dead in abandoned home's yard
A memorial stands behind a vacant Mississippi home where Tasia Fortune, 29, was found dead. An autopsy will determine cause and manner of death.
A week after the body of 29-year-old Tasia Fortune was discovered in the backyard of an abandoned house in Jackson, Mississippi, a growing memorial marks the site. Pink and white balloons, bouquets of flowers, and teddy bears now surround a photograph of the young woman, placed behind the vacant yellow home where she was found.
Jackson police responded to the property on August 3 and located Fortune's body in the overgrown yard. The Hinds County chief medical examiner investigator has since confirmed her identity. Her remains have been transferred to the Mississippi State Medical Examiner's Office, where an autopsy is scheduled to determine the cause and manner of death.
The makeshift memorial, which includes a dog stuffed animal and a framed picture of Fortune reflecting the tree limbs above, stands as a quiet tribute in the neighborhood. The open entrance to the vacant home remains visible behind the display, a stark reminder of the circumstances surrounding her death.
As the investigation continues, family and community members have been left seeking answers. The memorial, now a focal point of grief, remains in place as they await the findings of the medical examiner's report.