Ashanti Jade Turner, 25, was found dead in a yard of an abandoned duplex on Industrial Street in Columbus, Mississippi, on a Tuesday morning in April 2024. Police say an anonymous caller alerted them; investigators believed her body had likely been there overnight. Authorities have ruled the death a homicide.

The investigation focused on a person of interest identified as Damian Peterson, described as Turner’s boyfriend. Peterson, 31 at the time, was initially taken into custody on unrelated charges — two counts of aggravated assault and one count of shooting into a dwelling — and was later charged with murder in connection with Turner’s death. He remains held at the Lowndes County jail.

Known to family and friends as Jade, Turner graduated from New Hope High School, worked at several local restaurants, and is survived by her parents and a son. Funeral services were held at Fairview Baptist Church with burial at Gibbs Family Cemetery. If anyone in Columbus has information about what happened or knew Ashanti, please come forward.