Police Confirm Mississippi Woman Died Before Hanged from Tree
The Mississippi Police Department has confirmed that the body of 29‑year‑old Tasia Fortune was already dead before being positioned hanging‑style from a tree at an abandoned house in Jackson. Police referred to the case as a drug‑related dispute.
Fortune, a mother of four, was discovered in August at the site. Testimony in court established that her death had taken place days before the body was staged, a fact that police say helps explain the scene’s appearance.
Three men—Jarques Ratliff (51), Earnest Lloyd Jr (25) and Eric Clark (45)—have been arrested. Ratliff is in custody without bail, while Clark has turned himself in and faces a murder charge. The investigation is ongoing, with the coroner yet to disclose the specific cause of death.
The incident has reignited nationwide calls for federal scrutiny of all alleged hanging deaths of Black individuals, following Representative Ayanna Pressley’s letter to the DOJ and FBI highlighting more than fifty documented cases.
Fortune’s mother, Christy Spivey, expressed anguish over the staged scene. We were told the victim was dead before the body was hung, Spivey said. I just hope the right people are held accountable.
Local residents, wary of Mississippi’s history of racial violence, condemn what they see as another unjustified death that could have become a lynching if history is not remembered.
