JACKSON, MS — Mississippi police say the investigation into the death of Tasia Fortune remains active after a man was arrested in connection with the case and investigators said more arrests are likely. Fortune, a Black woman, was found hanging from a tree last month in the backyard of an abandoned home in Jackson. Authorities said the state medical examiner later ruled the death a homicide, giving investigators the legal basis to move forward on warrants they already had.
Jackson police chief RaShall Brackney said the arrest of 51-year-old Jarques Ratliff was an important step, but not the end of the case. Family members, meanwhile, have continued to press for answers while remembering Fortune as much more than the circumstances of her death.
Police say Jarques Ratliff was arrested on homicide charges
Police said Ratliff was located and taken into custody after officers encountered him walking on the street. Brackney said investigators believe he had an association with Fortune, though she would not describe the relationship. She also said police arrested him on a homicide charge.
Ratliff is expected to appear in Jackson municipal court no later than Monday morning, according to André de Gruy, Mississippi’s state defender. As of Saturday, Ratliff did not appear in Hinds County jail records. It was not immediately clear whether he had a lawyer, and a message was left for the public defender’s office.
Brackney said the arrest should not be viewed as the end of the inquiry. “This case remains active,” she said, adding that additional arrests would be pending as investigators continue following the evidence.
Medical examiner’s homicide ruling changed the pace of the case
The state medical examiner’s office determined Thursday evening that Fortune’s death was a homicide, according to Brackney. That finding allowed officers to serve warrants they already had prepared. Police had been investigating the death since Fortune’s body was discovered on 3 August.
Investigators have not publicly shared what led them to Ratliff or whether DNA evidence played a role. Fortune’s mother, Christy Spivey, said police did not give her a motive, and she said the family still has many unanswered questions. Police did not respond Saturday to requests for an update beyond confirming the investigation was continuing.
Brackney said the case has drawn media attention well beyond Jackson and across the world. Even so, police are still withholding many details while they continue to gather evidence and determine whether other people were involved.
Fortune’s family remembers a mother, athlete and woman of faith
For her family, Fortune is being remembered as a daughter, mother, and person of deep faith. Her obituary described her as someone whose life had “highs and lows,” but also highlighted her resilience, her Christian faith, and her talent as a cross-country runner in high school. The obituary was posted by Tucker funeral home in Central City, Kentucky, and services were held there last month.
Spivey said Fortune was the mother of four children, though she rarely saw two of them. She said her daughter had talked about starting a cleaning business and was trying to put her life in order. Spivey said the family wants the public to keep saying Fortune’s name and not let the case fade as the investigation continues.
A Kentucky upbringing marked by instability and separation
Spivey said Fortune’s life had been shaped by instability from an early age. She said she and Fortune’s father experienced racism and violence as a mixed-race couple in Crittenden County, Kentucky, before Fortune was born. Fortune was later taken from her parents and placed in foster care as a child.
During high school, Spivey said, Fortune moved among group homes before eventually running away to Mississippi. The obituary said Fortune had lived in Jackson for 10 years. Spivey said she was not certain where her daughter was living at the time of her death, but she believed Fortune had been struggling with homelessness in recent years.
Spivey said Fortune was close to her two sisters. She also said one of Fortune’s children had a father who was verbally and physically abusive to her.
A final family visit in Kentucky came just before her death
Spivey said the last time she saw her daughter was in late July, when a planned family reunion in Kentucky was canceled but Fortune still came to visit. She described the moment as feeling spiritually significant, saying she felt a pull to her daughter and believed something about the visit mattered.
Fortune was found dead only days later in Jackson. Spivey said she is certain her daughter did not kill herself and rejected the idea that Fortune could have climbed the tree where she was found. The family is still waiting for more answers about what happened and who may be responsible.
As investigators continue, Fortune’s mother said she will keep pushing for clarity. “Say her name. Keep it going,” Spivey said.
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