Man Arrested in Hanging Death of Mississippi Woman After Homicide Ruling

Jackson, Mississippi, police have arrested a man in connection with the death of Tasia Fortune, a 29-year-old Black woman whose body was found hanging from a tree last month. The arrest came after the Mississippi state medical examiner officially ruled her death a homicide. Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney announced at a Friday press conference that Jacques Ratliff, 51, was taken into custody on a murder charge. Officers encountered Ratliff walking on Capitol Street after executing search and arrest warrants at his home. "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." The medical examiner's ruling on Thursday, September 11, 2026, allowed police to execute warrants they had prepared. Brackney stated there was an "association" between Ratliff and Fortune but declined to provide details. The police chief said investigators interviewed nearly 15 people and conducted hundreds of hours of work between Fortune's death and the arrest. Fortune's body was discovered on August 3 in the backyard of an abandoned home in Jackson.