Mississippi police say more arrests coming in death of black mom of 4 found hanging from tree
Mississippi police said Saturday they were still investigating the death of Tasia Fortune, a black woman found hanging from a tree last month, a day after a man was arrested in connection with the killing.Loved ones also painted a picture of Fortune as a mother, athlete and woman of faith who they hoped would not solely be remembered for her horrific death.Additional arrests are expected in the case, Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney said Friday.Police sought and arrested 51-year-old Jarques Ratliff, who is black, when they encountered him walking on the street, authorities said.Ratliff should appear in Jackson Municipal Court no later than Monday morning, said André de Gruy, Mississippi’s state defender.Brackney said Ratliff had an “association” with Fortune but would not elaborate on their relationship.She called Ratliff’s arrest on a murder charge “an important development” 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.”The state medical examiner’s office determined Thursday evening that the death was a homicide, Brackney said, allowing police to execute the warrants they already had on hand.Police did not respond to calls and messages from The Associated Press on Saturday about potential updates to the investigation beyond confirming it was still going on.Ratliff was charged with murder, Hinds County jail records stated Saturday.The jail report stated that Ratliff was a resident of Jackson and contained little other information.It couldn’t immediately be determined if he had a lawyer, and a message was left for the public defender’s office.
If represented by a public defender, it would be the Hinds County public defender, de Gruy said.Christy Spivey, Fortune’s...