Mississippi man pleads not guilty to murder in connection with death of woman found hanging from a tree
09/15/2026 8:37 am PDT
JACKSON, Miss. (TCN) -- A 51-year-old man has been charged with murder in connection with the death of a woman found hanging from a tree in early August.
On Aug. 3, 29-year-old Tasia Fortune was found hanging from a tree behind a vacant home, according to Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney. Following an investigation, Fortune’s death was officially classified as a homicide by the medical examiner’s office on Sept. 11. Search and arrest warrants were secured for Jarques Ratliff, and he was taken into custody that day without incident.
KOAT reports he was arrested and charged with murder. According to an arrest affidavit, Ratliff allegedly used a black cable cord to hang Fortune; her official cause of death has not been released. Police stated that Fortune and Ratliff were associates but did not elaborate further on how they knew each other.
Ratliff pleaded not guilty at his first court appearance on Sept. 14, WLBT reports.
According to Fortune’s mother, Christy Spivey, police have not shared a potential motive or how they were led to Ratliff as a suspect, KOAT reports. Spivey said Fortune was a mother of four children and had struggled with homelessness in the past. She was removed from her parents’ custody in Kentucky as a child and lived in foster care and group homes before reportedly running away and settling in Mississippi.
According to her obituary, “Tasia’s path was not always easy, and there were highs and lows. She was intelligent and talented, having skipped her junior year of high school. She was also a star cross country athlete. But no matter what, she never lost her faith in God. 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 investigation is active and more arrests may be pending, according to police.
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