A 51-year-old man has been charged with murder in the death of Tasia Fortune, a 29-year-old Mississippi woman whose body was found hanging from a tree behind an abandoned home in Jackson last month, as police say additional arrests are expected.
Jackson police arrested Jarques Ratliff on Friday after the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office determined Thursday evening that Fortune’s death was a homicide. Police Chief RaShall Brackney said investigators already had search and arrest warrants and took Ratliff into custody after encountering him walking along a street.
Fortune was found Aug. 3 in the backyard of an abandoned home in Jackson. Her death drew widespread attention as her family pressed for answers about how she died. Authorities have not publicly disclosed a motive or detailed the evidence that led investigators to Ratliff.
Brackney said Ratliff had an “association” with Fortune but did not elaborate on their relationship. Fortune’s mother, Christy Spivey, said she did not recognize Ratliff and had not been told whether DNA or other evidence connected him to her daughter’s death. Ratliff, a Jackson resident, was listed in Hinds County jail records Saturday on a murder charge.
Police stressed that the arrest does not end the investigation. Brackney said investigators expect additional arrests as they continue following the evidence. Fortune was a mother of four who had faced periods of homelessness in recent years and had spoken with her family about starting a cleaning business as she worked to rebuild her life.
The Readovia Lens
The homicide ruling and first murder charge mark a major turn in a case that left Fortune’s family waiting more than a month for answers. With police now signaling that more arrests are expected, the investigation is moving beyond the circumstances of her death toward determining who was involved, what happened and why.
