Police in Jackson, Mississippi, have arrested a man in connection with the death of Tasia Fortune, a 29-year-old Black woman whose body was found hanging from a tree last month. Authorities announced the arrest after the state medical examiner ruled her death a homicide.
Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney revealed the development during a news conference on Friday. She said officers arrested 51-year-old Jarques Ratliff after locating him while he was walking along a street in the city. Ratliff has been charged with murder.
According to Brackney, investigators had already secured search and arrest warrants before the medical examiner completed the final ruling. Once the examiner officially determined that Fortune’s death was a homicide on Thursday evening, police moved forward and executed the warrants.
Brackney said Ratliff had an association with Fortune, but she declined to provide additional details about the nature of their relationship. She also did not discuss a possible motive for the killing, citing the ongoing investigation.
“This case remains active and additional arrests will be pending,” Brackney told reporters.
The police chief said investigators spent weeks gathering evidence and following leads. Detectives interviewed nearly 15 people as part of the investigation. Authorities also collected forensic evidence and examined information connected to the case.
Brackney described the arrest as an important step forward but stressed that the investigation is far from complete.
“The warrants executed today and the arrest of Mr. Ratliff are significant steps, but there is still an ongoing investigation,” she said.
The arrest brought an emotional response from Fortune’s family. Her mother, Christy Spivey, said she was overwhelmed when police informed her about the development.
“I just started crying and told them thank you, thank you, thank you,” Spivey said after learning of the arrest.
Despite the breakthrough, Spivey said many questions remain unanswered. Police did not tell her whether DNA evidence played a role in identifying the suspect. She also said investigators did not provide information about a motive.
Spivey said she did not personally know Ratliff. Following the arrest, she began asking some of her daughter’s friends whether they were familiar with him.
The family remains shocked by the events surrounding Fortune’s death.
“We still don’t have a lot of answers,” Spivey said.
Fortune’s body was discovered on Aug. 3 in the backyard of an abandoned home in Jackson. The case quickly drew public attention and concern. Community members and family members sought answers about how she died and whether foul play was involved.
The medical examiner’s ruling that the death was a homicide provided investigators with a key piece of evidence and helped move the case forward. Authorities have not released details about how Fortune was killed or whether more suspects could be involved.
The case has also renewed attention on other recent hanging deaths in Mississippi.
Less than a year before Fortune’s death, 21-year-old Trey Reed, a Black student at Delta State University, was found dead in Cleveland, Mississippi. Local authorities concluded that Reed died by suicide after an investigation. Officials said autopsy findings matched the preliminary examination conducted by the county coroner and showed no evidence of foul play.
However, Reed’s family questioned those findings and requested an independent autopsy. Family members and their attorneys also called on authorities to release security camera footage related to the case.
Another hanging death involved Cory Zukatis, an unhoused White man in his 30s who was found dead in Vicksburg. The Mississippi State Medical Examiner determined that Zukatis died by suicide.
Unlike those earlier cases, investigators now say evidence in Fortune’s death supports a homicide ruling. The arrest of Ratliff marks a major development in the investigation, but authorities say more work remains.
Police continue to gather evidence and pursue additional leads as they seek to determine exactly what happened to Fortune and whether others may face charges. Investigators have urged anyone with information related to the case to come forward as the inquiry continues.
