Police have made their first arrest in the closely watched Jackson case but have not disclosed a motive or key evidence.
JACKSON, Miss. — The family of Tasia Fortune has received the development it had awaited for weeks — an arrest and an official homicide ruling — while many of the central questions surrounding the 29-year-old mother’s death remain unanswered.
Jackson police arrested 51-year-old Jarques Ratliff on Friday, Sept. 11, one day after Mississippi’s medical examiner classified Fortune’s death as a homicide. Police Chief RaShall Brackney said Ratliff had an association with Fortune but declined to describe their relationship. Authorities have not announced a motive, disclosed the evidence connecting Ratliff to the case or explained how Fortune was killed.
Fortune was found Aug. 3 hanging from a tree behind a vacant home in west Jackson. The circumstances drew intense public attention while her family waited for an official determination of the manner of death. Her mother, Christy Spivey, had repeatedly said she did not believe Fortune had taken her own life. The medical examiner’s homicide finding Thursday allowed police to move ahead with arrest and search warrants they had already prepared.
Spivey said learning of the arrest brought an emotional sense of progress, but not the answers the family is seeking. Police did not tell her what motive investigators were considering or whether DNA or other forensic evidence played a role in the case, according to her account. She also said she did not recognize the arrested man and was asking people who knew her daughter whether they knew him.
The case has received attention well beyond Fortune’s relatives because of how she was found and because of Mississippi’s history of racial terror and lynchings. Brackney said police understand why the circumstances have caused people to view the death through that history. At the same time, she said investigators would not speculate publicly and would limit their statements to facts supported by evidence.
Police have not announced evidence showing that Fortune was targeted because of her race. Her mother has said she did not believe the killing was racially motivated. Authorities have likewise not released a motive of any kind, leaving the reason for Fortune’s death among the most important unresolved questions in the case.
Brackney said detectives interviewed nearly 15 people while the department awaited the medical examiner’s ruling. After the homicide classification, police executed two search warrants and sought Ratliff. Officers eventually encountered him walking on Capitol Street and arrested him, according to police. Authorities have not released the results of those searches.
Fortune was a mother of four whose life had included periods of foster care and housing instability. Family members said she had remained close with her sisters, and her mother had seen her in Kentucky shortly before her death. Spivey has described her daughter as someone who was trying to put parts of her life back together and had talked about starting a cleaning business.
A memorial of flowers and other items has been placed near the property where Fortune was found. The site has become a visible reminder of a case that generated concern in Jackson while investigators waited for the medical examiner’s determination. The homicide ruling and arrest have advanced the investigation, but police have cautioned that the case is not finished.
Brackney said additional arrests are expected as investigators continue following the evidence. Authorities have not identified any other suspected participants, and the precise circumstances of Fortune’s killing remain undisclosed. For her family, the arrest marks a major step while the search for a fuller account of what happened continues.
Author note: Last updated September 12, 2026.