Mississippi police arrest man in Tasia Fortune hanging death, more expected

Jackson police have arrested a man in connection with the death of Tasia Fortune, a 29-year-old Black woman found hanging from a tree in Mississippi's capital last month, and authorities say further arrests are likely.

Jarques Ratliff, 51, was taken into custody on a homicide charge after officers located him walking on a street, Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney said. Brackney said Ratliff had an "association" with Fortune but declined to describe the nature of their relationship. She called the arrest an important step but stressed it was not the end of the inquiry.

"This case remains active, and additional arrests will be pending as our investigators continue to follow the evidence wherever it leads," Brackney said, noting the widespread attention the case has drawn locally and internationally.

The development followed a determination by the state medical examiner's office that the death was a homicide, a ruling that allowed police to execute warrants they had already prepared. Ratliff was expected to appear in Jackson Municipal Court no later than Monday morning, according to state defender André de Gruy. He did not appear in Hinds County jail records, and it was not immediately clear whether he had legal representation.

Fortune's body was discovered on Aug. 3 in the backyard of an abandoned home in Jackson. Her mother, Christy Spivey, said she was certain her daughter did not take her own life. Spivey said police did not tell her a motive or whether DNA evidence led to the arrest, and that she did not know Ratliff. She described the family as shocked and still searching for answers.

"Say her name. Keep it going," Spivey said. "Because I'm not going to stop until I get answers."

An obituary described Fortune as a star cross-country runner who skipped her junior year of high school and held a deep religious faith. She was the mother of four children and had lived in Jackson for about a decade. Spivey said her daughter had struggled with homelessness in recent years and had talked about starting a cleaning business.

Spivey said she last saw Fortune in late July, when a planned family reunion in Kentucky was cancelled but her daughter traveled to see her anyway. Services were held in Kentucky last month.