Developing·Case the developing record
#DC-0167

Tasia Fortune

Death investigation after Tasia Fortune was found outside an abandoned house in Jackson.

Charged · allegations
last updated 30 September 2026 · 7 sources
Confirmed facts
19
Open questions
6
Charges
3
This case is still developing. Get an email when the file updates.
Audio brief · automated narration of the sourced record
Transcript

Case file Tasia Fortune, reference D C zero one six seven. The Associated Press, citing ABC News, reported that Christy Spivey, Fortune’s mother, said she last saw Fortune on July twenty-sixth, when Fortune had traveled to Kentucky for a family reunion. AP reported that on August third, Jackson police officers responded to a home in Jackson and discovered a body hanging in the backyard. AP reported that on August tenth, Hinds County chief medical examiner investigator Jeremiah Howard confirmed the body was Tasia Fortune. AP also reported that the body was in the custody of the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office, where an autopsy would determine cause and manner of death. AP reported that on September tenth, Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney said the state medical examiner’s office determined Fortune’s death was a homicide. AP reported that Jarques Ratliff, Earnest Lloyd Junior, and Eric Clark were arrested in the case. The murder charges are unproven allegations, and AP reported Ratliff pleaded not guilty. The file’s open questions include the official cause of death, autopsy findings, possible indictments, and whether police will make additional arrests. This has been an automated reading of case file D C zero one six seven at developing case dot com. Every fact you heard names a public source.

Timeline of what's confirmed19 entries
26 July 2026
Christy Spivey, Fortune's mother, told ABC News that she last saw Fortune on 26 July and that Fortune had traveled to Kentucky for a family reunion.
AP, citing ABC News
3 August 2026
Jackson police officers responded to a home in Jackson and discovered a body hanging in the backyard.
AP
5 August 2026
Jackson City Councilman Kenneth Stokes wrote a letter to Mississippi U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger asking for assistance in the case.
AP
10 August 2026
Hinds County chief medical examiner investigator Jeremiah Howard confirmed the body was Tasia Fortune.
AP
10 August 2026
AP reported that Fortune's body was in the custody of the Mississippi State Medical Examiner's Office, where an autopsy would determine cause and manner of death.
AP
10 August 2026
Jackson police had not indicated whether they considered Fortune's death suspicious and said they were working to determine the circumstances.
AP
10 August 2026
Jackson police had not identified any suspects or persons of interest.
AP
12 August 2026
Jackson Mayor John Horhn said officials were not going to jump to conclusions in the case.
CNN
10 September 2026
Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney said the state medical examiner’s office determined Fortune’s death was a homicide.
AP · added 30 Sep 2026
11 September 2026
Brackney said Jackson police arrested 51-year-old Jarques Ratliff after securing search and arrest warrants; Brackney said Ratliff had an association with Fortune but did not elaborate.
AP · added 30 Sep 2026
12 September 2026
Hinds County jail records stated that Ratliff was charged with murder; the charge is an unproven allegation.
AP · added 30 Sep 2026
14 September 2026
AP reported that Ratliff pleaded not guilty to murder.
AP · added 30 Sep 2026
22 September 2026
Jackson police said they arrested 25-year-old Earnest Lloyd Jr. in Fortune’s death.
AP · added 30 Sep 2026
23 September 2026
Lloyd appeared at a brief hearing and was denied bond.
AP · added 30 Sep 2026
23 September 2026
Police said they had issued an arrest warrant for a third suspect and expected additional warrants.
AP · added 30 Sep 2026
25 September 2026
Jackson police Detective Samuel Dukes testified that Fortune was apparently killed in a drug dispute before her body was hung in a tree in a staged scene; the testimony is an allegation and has not been proven in court.
AP · added 30 Sep 2026
25 September 2026
AP reported that authorities had not disclosed Fortune’s exact cause of death or why they believed her body was hanged afterward.
AP · added 30 Sep 2026
25 September 2026
AP reported that 45-year-old Eric Clark turned himself in after a warrant was issued for his arrest and was charged with murder; the charge is an unproven allegation.
AP · added 30 Sep 2026
28 September 2026
Judge Jeffery Reynolds set Clark’s bond at $5 million at a hearing.
AP · added 30 Sep 2026
Open questionsunconfirmed · not conclusions
What is the official cause and manner of Fortune's death?unconfirmed; AP said the Mississippi State Medical Examiner's Office would conduct an autopsy · unconfirmed
Have autopsy findings been released after the date CNN said officials expected more information?unconfirmed; no trusted search result confirmed a release · unconfirmed
What is the official cause of Fortune’s death?unconfirmed; AP reported authorities had not disclosed the exact cause of death · unconfirmed
What was the outcome of the continued hearing scheduled for 30 September 2026?unconfirmed; no trusted result reviewed confirmed the outcome · unconfirmed
Will a grand jury indict any of the charged defendants?unconfirmed; AP reported a hearing was considering whether to send Ratliff’s case to a grand jury · unconfirmed
Will police make additional arrests?unconfirmed; AP reported police said more arrests or warrants were expected · unconfirmed
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