Mississippi authorities said Saturday that the investigation into the death of Tasia Fortune remained active, one day after police arrested a man in connection with the killing. Fortune, a Black woman, was found hanging from a tree last month.
Family and friends have emphasized that Fortune was much more than the circumstances of her death. They remembered her as a devoted mother, a talented athlete and a woman of faith.
Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney said Friday that investigators anticipated making additional arrests in the case.
Authorities said officers located and arrested 51-year-old Jarques Ratliff, who is Black, after encountering him while he was walking along a street.
Ratliff was expected to appear in Jackson Municipal Court no later than Monday morning, according to André de Gruy, Mississippi’s state defender.
Brackney said Ratliff had an “association” with Fortune but declined to provide details about the nature of their relationship. She described his arrest on a murder charge as a significant step in the investigation.
“But it is not the conclusion. This case remains active, and additional arrests will be pending as our investigators continue to follow the evidence wherever it leads,” Brackney said Friday.
“We understand that this case has received media attention from across the globe, and across this community.”
Police provide little new information on Saturday
The Mississippi state medical examiner’s office ruled Thursday evening that Fortune’s death was a homicide. That determination enabled police to carry out warrants they had already obtained, Brackney said.
Police did not return calls or messages from The Associated Press on Saturday seeking further information, beyond confirming that the investigation was continuing.
Hinds County jail records listed Ratliff as being charged with murder. The records identified him as a Jackson resident but provided few additional details.
It was not immediately clear whether Ratliff had an attorney. A message was left with the public defender’s office. De Gruy said that if Ratliff qualifies for court-appointed representation, the Hinds County public defender would handle the case.
Fortune’s mother said she is grateful to police
Christy Spivey, Fortune’s mother, said Friday after police told her of the arrest that “I just started crying and told them ‘thank you, thank you, thank you.’”
Spivey said police did not share a motive or whether DNA led them to the arrest. Spivey said she did not know the man who had been arrested, but she was asking her daughter’s friends if they knew him. Spivey described the family as “in disbelief” and “shock.”
“We still don’t have a lot of answers,” Spivey said.
Police discovered Fortune’s body hanging in the backyard of an abandoned home in Jackson on Aug. 3.
Spivey said she was certain that her daughter, 29, would not have killed herself.
“Absolutely not. Even if she could climb that tree, no, no, she would never, ever, ever,” Spivey said.
Fortune was a mother, an athlete and a deeply religious person
An obituary about Fortune posted on the website of Tucker Funeral Home in Central City, Kentucky, in August stated that Fortune’s “path was not always easy, and there were highs and lows.”
It also stated that she skipped her junior year of high school, was a star cross-country runner, and had a strong faith in God. Services were held last month in Kentucky.
“She leaves behind a powerful legacy of resilience, rooted deeply in her unwavering faith. Even in her darkest hours, she never stopped believing in her Savior,” the obituary stated.
Fortune was also the mother of four children, but she rarely saw two of them, Spivey said. The last time Spivey saw her daughter was in late July for a planned family reunion in Kentucky that was canceled, but her daughter came to see her anyway.
“When she was there, there was this pull, like a spiritual pull to her. I needed her. I guess God knew that was going to be it,” Spivey said.
Spivey said she and Fortune’s father faced racism and violence as a mixed-race couple in Crittenden County, Kentucky, before Fortune was born.
Fortune was taken from her parents and placed in foster care as a child. During her high school years, she moved around among group homes and eventually ran away to Mississippi. The obituary stated that she had lived in Jackson for 10 years.
Spivey wasn’t sure where Fortune was living at the time of her death but said her daughter had been struggling with homelessness in recent years. Fortune had two sisters and was close with them. The father of one of her children was verbally and physically abusive to Fortune, Spivey said.
Before she died, Fortune had talked about starting a cleaning business and was trying to get her life in order.
“Say her name. Keep it going,” Spivey said. “Because I’m not going to stop until I get answers.”
