Jackson police have arrested Jacques Ratliff and say he will be charged with homicide in the death of Tasia Fortune, a 29-year-old Black woman and mother of four who was found hanging from a tree behind a vacant home on 3 August.
The medical examiner’s office ruled Fortune’s death a homicide on Thursday, a month after her autopsy was completed. Her body was found in various stages of decomposition behind the home on Road of Remembrance Drive in Jackson, Mississippi.
Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney announced Ratliff’s arrest during a news conference. Police said Ratliff had an association with Fortune, though they did not describe its nature or set out the evidence underlying the homicide charge.
The suspect was taken into custody on Friday afternoon after officers saw him walking along Capitol Street. Police obtained two search warrants and an arrest warrant in the case. They have not disclosed what, if anything, was recovered through the searches.
The vacant property where Fortune’s body was discovered had been abandoned and had no registered occupant since at least 2023, police said.
Brackney said investigators had interviewed more than 15 people. She said the arrest did not end the investigation.
“That arrest today is an important development in this investigation, but it is not the conclusion,” Brackney said.
“This case remains active, and additional arrests will be pending as our investigators continue to follow the evidence wherever it leads,” she said.
Police have not identified the other people interviewed, described any further suspects or said what role any additional people may have had in Fortune’s death. It is also unknown whether Ratliff has an attorney or has entered a plea.
The case was raised in Washington on Thursday, when Democrats led by Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass) called for the Department of Justice to investigate the number of Black Americans found hanging from trees. Their letter, signed largely by members of the Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Progressive Caucus, sought action from Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel.
Fortune’s case now has a formal homicide finding and an arrest. Police say their inquiry remains under way, with further arrests pending.
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