Jackson police arrest man in death of Tasia Fortune, found hanged from tree

Jackson, Mississippi, police have arrested a 51-year-old man in connection with the death of Tasia Fortune, a Black woman whose body was found hanging from a tree near a vacant or abandoned home in the city in August.

The state medical examiner ruled Fortune’s death a homicide, Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney said Friday. Police said a murder charge would be filed and that the investigation remains active.

What Happened

Police identified the arrested man as Jarques Ratliff, 51, according to the BBC. The Guardian identified him as Jacques Ratliff. Both outlets reported that he is Black and that police said he knew Fortune or had an association with her.

Brackney did not provide further details about the relationship or discuss a possible motive. Police have interviewed 15 people, she said.

“That arrest today is an important development in this investigation, but it is not the conclusion,” Brackney said Friday, according to the BBC. “This case remains active.”

Brackney said additional arrests could be pending as investigators continue to follow the evidence. The Guardian reported that police had obtained search and arrest warrants and arrested Ratliff after encountering him walking on a street.

Fortune’s body was found in the lot of an abandoned home, the BBC reported. The Guardian described the location as behind a vacant house. Both accounts place the discovery in Jackson last month.

What Each Side Is Saying

Fortune’s mother, Christy Spivey, said she cried after police informed her of the arrest. She told the BBC that she felt “a little sigh of relief” and “a little bit of peace,” while adding that she hoped investigators had arrested the right person.

Spivey told The Guardian that the family still did not have many answers. She said police did not tell her whether DNA evidence led to the arrest or provide a motive, and that she did not know the arrested man.

The BBC reported that Spivey had previously criticized what she and Jackson residents described as limited communication and slow movement by officials. Brackney said Friday that police had been in constant contact with Fortune’s mother, stepfather and biological father throughout the case.

Why It Matters

Fortune’s death has drawn intense concern in Jackson, a majority-Black city in a state with a history of racial violence and lynching. Police acknowledged the broader context but said they would not speculate beyond the medical examiner’s determination that Fortune was killed.

“We understand the questions and the desire for answers given Mississippi’s history,” Brackney said, according to The Guardian. She said officials were taking those concerns seriously while limiting public statements to information supported by evidence and facts.

More than 50 members of Congress sent a letter this week to the FBI and Justice Department calling for an independent investigation into reports of Black people found hanging from trees in several states, the BBC reported. The lawmakers said they were alarmed by the reports and cited at least 10 reported hangings of Black people in the United States this year, as well as more than 70 documented lynchings between 2000 and 2025.

What Happens Next

Police have said a murder charge will follow in Fortune’s case, but did not disclose a timetable. Investigators are continuing to examine evidence and have said further arrests are possible.

Authorities have not publicly described how Fortune was killed beyond the homicide ruling, nor have they publicly identified a motive. The case remains under investigation.