Story perspectives

Jackson Arrest Made in Tasia Fortune Homicide Case

By Drooid · Sep 13, 2026, 10:17 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Jackson Police Arrest

Jackson police arrested 51-year-old Jarques Ratliff on a homicide charge for Tasia Fortune’s death.
Fortune, 29, was found hanging from a tree behind an abandoned home on Aug. 3, 2026.
The Hinds County medical examiner classified the death as a homicide on Thursday evening.
Christy Spivey said her daughter did not die by suicide.

Summary

Lawmakers Demand Probe

More than 50 members of Congress wrote to the FBI demanding a federal investigation into Black hangings.
The letter listed ten 2026 hangings and over seventy lynchings from 2000-2025.
Lawmakers labeled the deaths possible modern-day lynchings and asked the Justice Department for an independent probe.
Residents voiced fear, tying the case to Mississippi’s historic racial-violence legacy.

Summary

Fortune Plans Business

Tasia Fortune, taken from mixed-race parents in Kentucky, spent her childhood in foster care.
She skipped her junior year of high school and became a star cross-country runner.
Fortune lived in Jackson for ten years, often facing homelessness before her death.
Her obituary emphasized unwavering faith in God and a legacy of resilience despite hardships.
Before dying, she planned to launch a cleaning business to stabilize her life.

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Jackson Police Arrest

Jackson police arrested 51-year-old Jarques Ratliff on a homicide charge for Tasia Fortune’s death.
Fortune, 29, was found hanging from a tree behind an abandoned home on Aug. 3, 2026.
The Hinds County medical examiner classified the death as a homicide on Thursday evening.
Christy Spivey said her daughter did not die by suicide.

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