JACKSON, MS — Jackson police have made a second arrest in the death of Tasia Fortune, the 29-year-old Black woman whose body was found hanging behind an abandoned home in the city on Aug. 3. Officers said late Tuesday that 25-year-old Earnest Lloyd Jr. was taken into custody as investigators continue to build a case around Fortune’s death.
Police also said they have issued an arrest warrant for a third suspect and expect more warrants could follow. The case has drawn intense attention in Mississippi because of the way Fortune was found and the questions that remain about what happened before her death.
Earnest Lloyd Jr. appears in court after arrest in the case
Lloyd appeared Wednesday at a brief hearing in Jackson. Authorities have not publicly detailed what they believe his role was in Fortune’s death, and no motive has been announced.
Like Fortune and the first person arrested in the case, Lloyd is Black. Police have not said whether they believe race played a role. The lack of public detail has left many questions unanswered as the investigation moves forward.
First suspect Jarques Ratliff remains jailed on murder charges
The first arrest in the case came in September, when police charged 51-year-old Jarques Ratliff with murder. Ratliff has pleaded not guilty and remains jailed without bond.
Jackson police chief RaShall Brackney previously said Ratliff had an “association” with Fortune, but she did not explain what that meant. Police later said investigators interviewed more than a dozen people and gathered forensic evidence after that arrest.
That evidence collection appears to be part of a broader push by detectives to identify everyone who may have been involved. Police have not said how the newest arrest fits with the earlier one.
Family members say the arrest brought relief, but not closure
Fortune’s mother, Christy Spivey, attended Wednesday’s hearing and said afterward that she was relieved to see arrests being made in her daughter’s death. She also said she did not know Lloyd and that several of Fortune’s friends did not know him either.
Spivey said she wanted to be careful not to presume guilt before a trial. She said she understands the impact of the case on the defendants’ families, even as her own family continues to grieve.
“My family is not the only family that this is affecting,” she said. “I feel for them as well. The only difference is that mine can never come back.”
She added, “I’ll never truly have peace.”
Questions remain about motive and whether additional warrants will follow
Police have not announced a possible motive for Fortune’s killing. They also have not said whether the case is being investigated as a hate crime or whether officers have identified a broader pattern behind the death.
In a statement, police said the third warrant was issued without giving the person’s name or describing that suspect’s alleged connection to the case. Investigators said they anticipate more warrants, suggesting the work is still active.
The absence of a public motive has kept attention focused on the arrests themselves, which may be only part of a larger investigation into how Fortune died and who may have been involved.
Fortune’s death revived painful memories in Mississippi
Fortune’s death has resonated across the state because hanging deaths in Mississippi have long carried painful historical associations. Her body was found behind an abandoned home in Jackson, a detail that intensified public concern after the case became known.
The death also came one year after two other hanging deaths in Mississippi drew scrutiny. Trey Reed, a 21-year-old Black student at Delta State University in Cleveland, and Cory Zukatis, an unhoused White man in Vicksburg, were both found hanging in separate cases. Authorities ruled both deaths suicides, though Reed’s family and attorneys have called for an independent autopsy.
That history has helped fuel the attention around Fortune’s case, even as police continue to investigate it as a homicide.
Fortune’s family says she was trying to rebuild her life
Relatives said Fortune was from Kentucky and had lived in Jackson for about 10 years. She had four children, according to family members, and had faced homelessness in recent years.
Spivey said she was not sure where her daughter was living when she died. She also said Fortune had been talking about starting a cleaning business and was trying to get her life back on track.
Even with the arrests, the family says important questions remain about Fortune’s final days and the circumstances that led to her death. For now, investigators are continuing to press forward while the family waits for more answers.
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