A 65-year-old man linked to the death of Tasia Fortune sat in a Mississippi jail over the weekend—but not for what most people thought. Terence Anderson appeared in Jackson Municipal Court on Tuesday facing a felon-in-possession-of-a-firearm charge with a $250,000 bond. The real story: Anderson had been questioned by detectives about the death of 29-year-old Fortune, and now he’s locked up on a separate weapons rap while her death remains under investigation.
Here’s what we know. Fortune’s body was found hanging from a tree on Aug. 3 in Jackson, Mississippi, behind an abandoned home on Road of Remembrance in a mostly Black neighborhood. Fortune and Anderson have a 5-year-old son together, according to Anderson’s brother Tony, who spoke to NBC News. Anderson denied any involvement but told police that he had an argument with Fortune. Police said that the two were in a relationship, but Anderson denied that claim when officers asked.
The firearm arrest itself is telling. Anderson is a convicted felon but had been out of trouble for years and has a job working as a painter, according to his brother. Yet now he’s looking at federal weapons charges while remaining uncharged in Fortune’s death. Anderson appeared in Jackson Municipal Court, where he was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, and Judge Jeffrey Reynolds set bond at $250,000. Anderson is now at the Hinds County Detention Center in Raymond.
But the larger story is the investigation into Fortune herself—and the alarm bells ringing in Jackson. Fortune was a mother of four who had lived in Mississippi for over a decade. Her mother, Christy Spivey, last saw her daughter July 26 at a family reunion in Kentucky, remembering her daughter as someone who “was strong-minded” and “full of laughs and love”. Spivey said she does not believe Fortune died by suicide, stating “She did not do this to herself”.
The Mississippi context matters here. Two other people have been found hanging from trees in less than a year in the state, according to reporting. In September 2025, 18-year-old Trey Reed, a Delta State University student who was Black, was found hanging from a tree on campus in Cleveland, Mississippi. Jackson City Council member Kenneth Stokes sent a letter to U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger, asking for help in investigating this case and noting the city was in “dire need of the assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office”. Stokes told media that, even if investigators determine there was no racial element involved in Fortune’s death, Mississippi’s history of lynching should not be overlooked and public officials should speak out against what happened.
As of now, Fortune’s body is in the custody of the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office, where an autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause and manner of death. Jackson Police Department has not confirmed Anderson’s status as a person of interest in Fortune’s death investigation, and he remains uncharged in connection with her death. That means the question remains open: How exactly did a 29-year-old mother of four end up hanging from a tree behind an abandoned house?
The 16BARS take: Anderson’s arrest on a gun charge while remaining uncharged in Fortune’s death raises more questions than it answers. Her mother says she didn’t do this to herself. The community is watching. This story isn’t over.
