MOTHER OF FOUR FOUND HANGING FROM TREE — NOW POLICE MAKE FIRST ARREST AFTER HER DEATH IS RULED A HOMICIDE

Tasia Fortune’s family spent weeks demanding answers. Now, investigators have arrested a 51-year-old man — but police warn the case is far from over.

Nearly six weeks after Tasia Fortune was found hanging from a tree behind an abandoned home in Mississippi, investigators have made their first major breakthrough.

The 29-year-old mother of four was discovered on August 3 in Jackson, leaving her family desperate for answers about what happened to her.

On Thursday night, the state medical examiner officially classified Fortune’s death as a homicide.

By Friday, police had arrested 51-year-old Jarques Ratliff and charged him with murder.

But authorities say the arrest is only one step in an ongoing investigation.

THE ARREST CAME JUST HOURS AFTER THE HOMICIDE RULING

Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney said investigators had already secured search warrants and an arrest warrant before Ratliff was taken into custody.

Officers initially went to execute the warrants, but Ratliff was not at the location.

He was later spotted walking along Capitol Street, where officers arrested him without incident, police said.

Investigators had spent weeks working the case, interviewing nearly 15 people, collecting forensic evidence and following multiple leads.

The medical examiner’s homicide determination allowed investigators to move forward with the warrants.

“This is not closure,” Brackney emphasized, describing the arrest as an important step rather than the end of the investigation.

POLICE SAY THE SUSPECT KNEW FORTUNE

One major question remains unanswered: What was the connection between Ratliff and Fortune?

Chief Brackney confirmed that Ratliff had an “association” with Fortune, but she declined to disclose the nature of their relationship.

Police have also not publicly revealed a motive or explained what evidence specifically led investigators to Ratliff.

Fortune’s mother, Christy Spivey, said police did not tell her whether DNA evidence played a role in the arrest.

“I just started crying and told them ‘thank you, thank you, thank you,’” Spivey said after learning about the arrest.

But relief over the arrest has not erased the family’s questions.

“We still don’t have a lot of answers,” Spivey said.

A FAMILY STILL WAITING FOR ANSWERS

Fortune was a mother of four who had endured significant hardships throughout her life.

Her family said she had spent part of her childhood in foster care and later struggled with homelessness.

Before her death, relatives said she was trying to rebuild her life and had talked about starting a cleaning business.

Her mother last saw her in late July, when Fortune traveled to Kentucky despite a family reunion being canceled.

Spivey said her daughter seemed to be doing better than she had in a long time.

That memory has made her death even harder to understand.

MORE ARRESTS COULD FOLLOW

Authorities have stressed that the investigation remains active.

Police are continuing to examine the evidence and have indicated that additional arrests may be possible.

The circumstances surrounding Fortune’s death have attracted widespread attention, particularly because of how her body was discovered and the painful history surrounding similar cases in Mississippi.

Chief Brackney said authorities understand why the public is demanding answers, but emphasized that investigators must rely on evidence rather than speculation.

For Fortune’s family, however, the arrest represents only the beginning of what they hope will eventually become a full explanation of what happened.

A mother of four is gone. One man is now behind bars.

But the biggest questions — why Tasia Fortune was targeted, what happened before her death, and whether anyone else was involved — remain unanswered.

The investigation continues.