Mississippi police arrest man in homicide of Tasia Fortune

Jackson police announced Friday that they had arrested Jarques Ratliff, 51, on a murder charge in connection with the death of 29-year-old Tasia Fortune. The arrest followed the execution of search and arrest warrants after the state medical examiner classified the death as a homicide. Police chief RaShall Brackney said Ratliff had an "association" with Fortune but declined to provide further details.

Brackney noted that investigators had interviewed about 15 people, gathered forensic evidence and pursued multiple leads. He added that the case remains active and additional arrests could follow.

Fortune’s mother, Christy Spivey, expressed relief at the arrest but said authorities have not disclosed a motive or whether DNA evidence linked Ratliff to the crime. She said the family is still seeking answers.

Fortune’s body was discovered on Aug. 3 hanging in the backyard of an abandoned home in Jackson. Her death follows two other recent hanging deaths in Mississippi, which were ruled suicides by local medical examiners.