Jackson, Mississippi authorities say additional arrests are expected following the murder of Tasia Fortune, a 29-year-old Black woman whose body was discovered hanging from a tree in the backyard of an abandoned home on August 3.
Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney announced Friday that investigators arrested 51-year-old Jarques Ratliff on a murder charge after officers encountered him walking on the street. Ratliff is listed as a Jackson resident in Hinds County jail records and is expected to appear in Jackson Municipal Court no later than Monday.
Brackney confirmed that Ratliff had some form of “association” with Fortune but declined to elaborate on the nature of their relationship. She made clear that his arrest was not the end of the investigation.
“This case remains active and additional arrests will be pending as our investigators continue to follow the evidence wherever it leads” Brackney said.
The state medical examiner’s office officially ruled Fortune’s death a homicide on Thursday evening which allowed police to execute the warrants they already had prepared. It remains unclear whether Ratliff has legal representation.
Fortune’s mother Christy Spivey said she broke down in tears when police informed her of the arrest. Spivey said she did not recognize the arrested man and began reaching out to her daughter’s friends to determine if they knew him.
“We still don’t have a lot of answers” Spivey said describing her family as being in a state of disbelief and shock.
Spivey was adamant that her daughter would never have taken her own life. Fortune had been struggling with homelessness in recent years and had a difficult childhood that included time in foster care and group homes before she eventually settled in Jackson about a decade ago.
Despite those hardships Fortune was described by loved ones as a devoted mother of four children a competitive cross-country runner and a woman of deep religious faith. Those close to her said she had recently been making plans to start a cleaning business and was working to stabilize her life.
The last time Spivey saw her daughter was in late July when Fortune traveled to Kentucky for a family reunion that was ultimately canceled. Fortune made the trip anyway to spend time with her mother.
Spivey said she intends to keep pushing for full accountability in her daughter’s death.
“Say her name. Keep it going” Spivey said. “Because I’m not going to stop until I get answers.”