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Police in Jackson, Mississippi, have arrested a man in connection with the death of Tasia Fortune, a 29-year-old Black woman found hanging from a tree outside an abandoned home last month. Authorities have ruled Fortune's death a homicide. On Friday (September 11), officers apprehended Jacque Ratliff in Jackson after securing search and arrest warrants.
The arrest follows the state medical examiner's determination on Thursday that Fortune's death was a homicide. Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney stated that the arrest marks an important development in the investigation but emphasized that the case remains active. "Additional arrests will be pending as our investigators continue to follow the evidence wherever it leads," Brackney said, according to USA Today.
Brackney noted the national attention the case has garnered due to Mississippi's history of racial violence and lynchings. "We understand the questions and the desire for answers given Mississippi’s history," she said. "We do not dismiss those concerns and are taking them seriously," she added, as reported by The Guardian.
The suspect, Ratliff, had an "association" with Fortune, though the nature of their relationship has not been disclosed. Fortune's family, including her mother Christy Spivey, expressed disbelief and shock over her death. Spivey told The Independent that they do not believe Fortune died by suicide, stating, "Tasia loved life. There's no way that she took her own life."
Police have indicated that Ratliff will be charged with homicide, but as of Friday evening, he had not appeared in local jail logs. The investigation is ongoing, and more arrests are expected.