Arrest made as police investigate death of woman found hanging from tree as homicide, chief says

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT/Gray News) - A man has been arrested in connection with the death of a woman who was found hanging from a tree in Mississippi.

During a press conference on Friday, Jackson Police secured two search warrants and an arrest warrant for a man identified as Jacques Ratliff.

Police Chief RaShall Brackney said they executed both search warrants. But he was not at the location when officers arrived.

Ratliff was later found walking on Capitol Street, where he was arrested and taken into custody.

Tasia Fortune, 29, was discovered hanging behind a vacant home in Jackson on July 31.

The Jackson Police Department said in a statement at the time that it had launched a death investigation, and Fortune’s body was later taken to the state medical examiner’s office for an autopsy to determine her cause and manner of death.

Brackney said police continue to investigate the case as a homicide and will do so until the medical examiner says otherwise.

The chief also told the council that she remains in contact with Christy Spivey, Tasia Fortune’s mother, as well as Spivey’s husband.

Coroner Jeramiah Howard shared similar sentiments, saying the medical examiner’s office was likely waiting on results from other testing before putting together and releasing a final report.