Mississippi police investigate Tasia Fortune’s death, expect more arrests

Police in Jackson, Mississippi, arrested Jarques Ratliff, 51, on Friday in connection with the death of Tasia Fortune, a Black woman whose body was found hanging from a tree on August 3.

Authorities are continuing to investigate and anticipate further arrests as they follow evidence in the case. Jackson’s police chief, RaShall Brackney, confirmed the death was ruled a homicide by the state medical examiner’s office, allowing police to act on existing warrants.

Brackney stated that Ratliff had some connection to Fortune, but declined to detail their relationship. Investigators have not yet revealed a motive for the killing. Fortune’s mother, Christy Spivey, expressed relief at the arrest but said the family still lacks many answers about what happened. Spivey described her 29-year-old daughter as a mother of four, a former athlete, and a woman of faith. She emphasized that Fortune would never have taken her own life.

The obituary for Fortune noted she had faced challenges throughout her life, including time in foster care and group homes, and had been living in Jackson for ten years. Spivey also shared that Fortune had recently been trying to establish a cleaning business and improve her circumstances, and that she and Fortune’s father experienced racism as an interracial couple.