Mississippi detective says woman’s body was staged after death
A Jackson police detective has testified that Tasia Fortune was likely dead before her body was hanged from a tree behind an abandoned home. Authorities have ruled the death a homicide, arrested two men and issued a warrant for a third person, while investigators say a drug dispute may have been involved.
A Mississippi police detective has testified that Tasia Fortune was likely dead before her body was hanged from a tree behind an abandoned home in Jackson this summer. Detective Samuel Dukes told a court on Friday that the hanging was staged, citing the medical examiner’s opinion. Fortune’s body was found on August 3.
Authorities have not disclosed the precise cause of death, but have classified the case as a homicide. Police have arrested two men on murder charges and issued a warrant for a third person. Dukes said investigators believe the motive was connected to a drug dispute.
He also testified that interviews with other people suggested Fortune fought hard before she was killed. Authorities have not explained why they believe Fortune’s body was hanged after her death. The circumstances have attracted widespread attention because the scene recalled lynchings in Mississippi, a state with a long history of racial violence.
Dukes gave evidence during a hearing for Jarques Ratliff, 51, the first person arrested in the case earlier this month. Ratliff has pleaded not guilty and remains in custody at the Hinds County jail without bond. The hearing is intended to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to send the case to a grand jury for possible indictment.
Proceedings are due to resume on September 30. Police arrested a second defendant, 25-year-old Earnest Lloyd Jnr, this week. During Friday’s hearing, Ratliff said Fortune had been his friend.
Fortune’s mother, Christy Spivey, said her daughter had four children and had struggled with homelessness in recent years. She said she was unsure where Fortune had been living when she died, but that Fortune had discussed starting a cleaning business and trying to put her life in order.
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