Mississippi investigators say Tasia Fortune’s hanging was staged, killing happened elsewhere
JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi investigators now believe the hanging death of Tasia Fortune, a 29-year-old Black woman found in a tree in Jackson, was staged and that she was killed at another location, according to new details in the case.
The development surfaced during a court hearing for Jarques Ratliff, one of several people arrested in connection with Fortune’s death, according to the Mississippi Clarion Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network. Detective Samuel Dukes described the death as “staged,” saying investigators believe Fortune was killed elsewhere before her body was placed in a hanging position in the tree. Dukes said authorities determined she had been dead for two to three days before her body was discovered.
Ratliff, 51, was arrested Sept. 11 in Jackson. Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney told reporters Sept. 25 that investigators moved quickly after findings from the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office. Brackney called an arrest in the case an important development but said it was not the conclusion of the investigation.
Ratliff’s attorney, Toney Baldwin, said his client was not involved and wanted “truth about what happened to come out,” according to the Clarion Ledger.
Two other people also have been arrested in the case. Earnest Lloyd Jr. was arrested Sept. 22, while Eric Clark, 45, turned himself in to authorities Sept. 25, the newspaper reported.
Fortune was found dead Aug. 3, hanging from a tree in the backyard of an abandoned house in Jackson. Her death prompted calls for an investigation, including from prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump, and drew national attention.
Brackney acknowledged the scrutiny, saying she understood the questions and desire for answers given Mississippi’s history. “We do not dismiss those concerns, we are taking them seriously,” she said.
Investigators have said missing illegal narcotics were central to the crime, with allegations that Fortune had taken them. The disclosure adds a possible motive to a case that has raised broader questions about public trust, race and violence in Mississippi, where the history of lynching and racial terror still shapes how such deaths are perceived.
While authorities now describe the hanging as staged, the investigation remains active, and officials have not said it is complete. The arrests and the medical examiner’s findings have intensified calls for transparency from community members and advocates seeking a full accounting of the case.
USA TODAY’s Michael Loria contributed to this report.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mississippi investigators say Tasia Fortune’s hanging was staged.