Crime · updated 2h ago · 2 min read
Jackson Police Arrest Jarques Ratliff in Tasia Fortune Homicide Case
Jarques Ratliff arrested and charged with homicide in Fortune's death. Death officially ruled a homicide by the state medical examiner.
How much emphasis on lynching pattern versus police process.
2 of 3 outlets skipped it: goFundMe had raised upward of $175,000 by Sept. 10.
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BBC
“Earlier this month, Fortune's death was described by a member of the US Congress as part of a pattern of "possible modern-day lynchings".”Read the original ↗
CBS News
“police interviewed nearly 15 people, collected forensic evidence and pursued leads in the case.”Read the original ↗
BBC stresses possible modern-day lynchings context, while US outlets focus on warrants, interviews and the homicide classification process.
Homicide ruling, arrest
Jackson, Mississippi police arrested Jarques Ratliff, 51, in the death of Tasia Fortune, a 29-year-old Black woman found hanging from a tree outside an abandoned house, after the state medical examiner classified her death as a homicide.
“Jarques Ratliff, 51, has been charged with murder in connection with Fortune’s death”
Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney said, "Last night, the medical examiner’s office officially classified Miss Fortune’s death as a homicide," and added that investigators "moved quickly" following that determination.
Police said they secured two search warrants and an arrest warrant, and Brackney said officers arrested Ratliff after they were unable to locate him at the search warrant location.
CNN reported that Ratliff will have his first court appearance Monday, and police said no additional arrests had been made overnight while Brackney anticipated "more arrests to come."
Family demands answers
Fortune’s mother, Christy Spivey, told The Associated Press that when she learned about the arrest, "I just started crying and told them ‘thank you, thank you, thank you.’"
Spivey also said she did not know Ratliff and that the family was "in disbelief" and "still don’t have a lot of answers," as police did not share a motive or whether DNA led to the arrest.
At an earlier stage of the investigation, Brackney told a city council meeting that the department had been investigating the case "from day one as a homicide, until we hear otherwise from the medical examiner’s office," while autopsy results were pending.
Brackney cautioned against jumping to conclusions, saying, "There is a lot of misinformation out there about this case and other ones," as investigators remained in contact with Spivey and her husband while awaiting the medical examiner’s ruling.
Investigation remains active
Brackney emphasized that the arrest was not the end of the case, saying, "This is not closure. This is just one step as we continue to investigate this case," while also warning that additional arrests could follow.
“"This case remains active, and additional arrests will be pending"”
NBC News quoted Brackney describing the arrest as an "important development" but reiterated that "This case remains active, and additional arrests will be pending as our investigators continue to follow the evidence wherever it leads."
Police said Fortune was found in a "hanging position" with "various states of decomposition of her body" on August 3, and Brackney said her manner of death had not yet been disclosed.
The investigation into Fortune’s death comes less than a year after the hanging deaths of 21-year-old Trey Reed in Cleveland and Cory Zukatis in Vicksburg, with authorities determining both were suicides, and Brackney said she would "not make that determination" about any connection to those cases.