Mother of woman found hanging in tree shocked as police say body was staged

Image source, Christy Spivey Image caption, Tasia Fortune, a 29-year-old mother of four, was found hanging from a tree in August

Warning: This story contains distressing details

The mother of a woman found hanging in a tree in Mississippi has spoken of her shock after authorities said they believed her daughter was dead before her body was placed at the allegedly "staged" crime scene.

Tasia Fortune, a 29-year-old mother of four, was found hanging from a tree at an abandoned home in Jackson in August.

The discovery sparked widespread fears in the majority-black city because of the state's deep history of racial violence and lynchings. But on Friday, police said that Fortune had been dead before her body was hanged from the tree.

"I have more questions now than what I did before," her mother Christy Spivey told the BBC.