Jackson man charged after authorities identify body found in woods

Published 7:30 am Saturday, March 9, 2019

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi man has been charged after authorities identified a body found in a rural area.

Media outlets reported 44-year-old Cedric Taylor was arrested Thursday and charged with murder and being a convicted felon possessing a gun. He’s jailed with bail set at $125,000. It’s unclear if Taylor has a lawyer to speak for him.

Jackson police say Taylor killed 29 year-old Dewan Fortner, whose body was found Wednesday in woods behind an abandoned building near Bolton.

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Fortner was reported missing Feb. 25. Police say they think the shooting followed a fight in a Jackson neighborhood.

Yvette Butler, Fortner’s mother, said she showed Taylor a picture of Fortner when searching for her son, but Taylor said he didn’t know Fortner.