Arrest made over the death of black woman found hanged from tree

Police in the US state of Mississippi have made their first arrest in the case of a black woman found dead and hanged from a tree. Tasia Fortune's body was found in the lot of an abandoned home in Jackson in August, but police only announced they were treating her death as a possible homicide earlier this week. The arrest follows weeks of relative silence and inaction from local officials, which has left the community in shock and fear. The medical examiner has confirmed Fortune's cause of death was homicide, and a suspected killer will be charged with murder. Police had interviewed 15 people in the case, and additional arrests are pending as their investigators continue to follow the evidence. The arrest is an important development in the investigation, but it is not the conclusion, according to Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney. Fortune's mother, Christy Spivey, expressed relief at the arrest, saying she feels a 'little sigh of relief' and 'a little bit of peace' has come over her. She had tried contacting police several times over the last two weeks, leaving multiple voicemails, and had not heard back. The police chief assured the family that they had been in constant contact with them throughout the case. The arrest is part of a broader investigation into Fortune's death, which has been described as part of a pattern of 'possible modern-day lynchings' by a member of the US Congress. Mississippi has a history of racial violence and lynching, which has added to the community's sense of unease. The police chief acknowledged the frustration felt by locals, but emphasized that the investigation is ongoing and that more arrests may be made in the future.