A Mississippi man has been arrested after a woman was found hanging from a tree behind an abandoned home in Jackson last month.
Police said Jarques Ratliff, 51, has been charged with murder in the death of 29-year-old Tasia Fortune, who was discovered dead on August 3.
Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney announced Ratliff’s arrest Friday, a significant break in the investigation into Fortune’s death.
Brackney said Ratliff had an ‘association’ with the mother of four, though authorities have not disclosed the nature of their connection.
Fortune’s death was formally ruled a homicide Thursday evening, Brackney said, enabling investigators to secure search and arrest warrants for Ratliff. Officers took him into custody after encountering him on the street.
‘The arrest today is an important development in this investigation, but it is not the conclusion,’ Brackney told reporters during a press conference.
Jarques Ratliff, 51, was arrested after officers encountered him walking on the street in connection with the death of Tasia Fortune, 29, who was found in Jackson on August 3.
Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney announced Friday that Ratliff had been charged with murder, a major development in the case since Fortune was found last month.
![Christy Spivey, Fortune's mother seen above, said on Friday that, after learning of Ratliff's arrest, she 'just started crying and told [police] "thank you, thank you, thank you"'](https://i.dailymail.com/1s/2026/09/12/05/111204097-16125187-image-a-51_1789187590833.jpg)
Fortune’s mother, Christy Spivey, said Friday that when she learned of Ratliff’s arrest, she ‘just started crying and told [police] “thank you, thank you, thank you.”‘
‘This case remains active, and additional arrests will be pending as our investigators continue to follow the evidence where it leads… because Tasia and her children deserve nothing less.’
Fortune’s family had previously spoken out and said that they did not believe she had died by suicide, NBC News reported.
Christy Spivey, Fortune’s mother, said on Friday that, after learning of Ratliff’s arrest, she ‘just started crying and told [police] “thank you, thank you, thank you.”‘
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Spivey said she wasn’t told of any motivation behind her daughter’s death and did not know Ratliff, but that their family is ‘in disbelief’ and ‘shock.’
‘We still don’t have a lot of answers,’ she told The Associated Press.
Brackney said Fortune’s body was discovered in ‘the position of hanging’ and undergoing various stages of decomposition.
Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney, pictured speaking to reporters, said Fortune’s body was discovered in ‘the position of hanging’ and undergoing various stages of decomposition
Fortune’s family had previously spoken out and said that they did not believe she had died by suicide
Spivey said she wasn’t told of any motivation behind her daughter’s death and did not know Ratliff, but that their family is ‘in disbelief’ and ‘shock’
The police chief acknowledged that Fortune’s case has ‘raised questions and the desire for answers given Mississippi’s history.’
‘We understand this case is being viewed through a broader lens, a global lens, and we do not dismiss those concerns. We are taking them seriously,’ she said.
‘At the same time, we do have a responsibility to make sure that what we say publicly is supported by our evidence and facts.’
The Daily Mail reached out to the Jackson Police Department for comment.