Mississippi police have taken Jarques Ratliff into custody regarding the murder of Tasia Fortune, a Black woman discovered hanging from a tree last month. Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney announced at a news conference that they had secured both search and arrest warrants, leading to Ratliff’s arrest during a street encounter.

Brackney noted that Ratliff, 51, had an ‘association’ with Fortune, though details about this connection remain undisclosed. The state medical examiner’s office concluded Thursday evening that Fortune’s death was homicide, enabling police to proceed with executing the warrants.

‘This case remains active, and additional arrests will be pending,’ Brackney stated. Police have interviewed nearly 15 individuals, gathered forensic evidence, and followed leads in the investigation. The arrest of Ratliff marks a significant advancement, but the probe continues.

Fortune’s mother, Christy Spivey, expressed gratitude to the police upon hearing of the arrest, saying, ‘I just started crying and told them thank you, thank you, thank you.’ While police did not disclose any motive or whether DNA was instrumental in the arrest, Spivey seeks information from her daughter’s friends about Ratliff.

Spivey shared that the family is ‘in disbelief’ and ‘shock’ following the arrest, as many questions remain unanswered. Police found Fortune’s body hanging in the backyard of an abandoned home in Jackson on August 3.

Fortune’s death occurred shortly after the hanging deaths of two other individuals: Trey Reed, a 21-year-old Black student; and Cory Zukatis, an unhoused White man in his 30s. Police deemed Reed’s death a suicide, with autopsy results matching initial examinations by the Bolivar County coroner, which showed no indication of foul play.

Reed’s family, along with their legal team, requested an independent autopsy and release of security camera footage. Meanwhile, the Mississippi State Medical Examiner concluded Zukatis’s death as suicide.