Photo courtesy of uwm.edu

Police in Jackson, Mississippi said the body of a Black woman was discovered hanging from a tree behind a vacant house, triggering public outcry that she was the victim of foul play and pushing for an investigation into her death.

The incident was similar to the case of Trey Reed, a Black man who was also found hanging in Mississippi last year, which was ruled a suicide despite protests that his death was far more sinister.

The Black community is calling both hangings mysterious and calling for an investigation into the recent hanging, in which police have yet to release the woman’s identity.

According to News One Media, Hinds County Coroner Jeremiah Howard confirmed that the woman’s body was found hanging from a tree behind the vacant home, and that the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office will perform an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.

Neither the coroner’s office nor the Jackson Police Department has said whether foul play is suspected.

The JPD said in a statement on Monday evening that officers “located the body of an unidentified Black female” at the 500 block of Road of Remembrance at 9:05 p.m., and that “crime scene investigators are working to determine the circumstances surrounding the death.”

The department urged anyone with information on the hanging to contact it at 601-960-1800, or to contact CRIME STOPPERS at 601-355-TIPS (8477).

The state of Mississippi is currently grappling with the death of Nolan Wells, an 18 year-old Black student-athlete from Ocean Springs, who traveled to Horn Island on a boat trip on the Fourth of July with an all-white friends group, and went missing.

His body was found two days later along the shoreline.

The case has drawn speculation about the circumstances of Wells’ death and the integrity of the official investigation, by the Wells family and their attorney Benjamin Crump who have alleged possible racial bias in the investigation.

The Jackson County District Attorney’s Office stated that the autopsy and the results of the investigation, once completed, would be presented to a grand jury, which is standard for most unnatural or suspicious deaths.

District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath told reporters he has key pieces of evidence regarding the case, including the autopsy, would not be publicly disclosed until after being presented to the grand jury to ensure the integrity of the legal process.