Jackson Police Make Second Arrest in the Killing of Tasia Fortune
Mississippi investigators have taken a second suspect into custody in connection with the death of Tasia Fortune, a 29-year-old Black mother of four whose body was discovered hanging from a tree in Jackson on August 3. Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney announced the development during a city council meeting, confirming that 25-year-old Earnest Lloyd Jr. was arrested and charged with murder.
Chief Brackney stated during the proceedings that she can “guarantee there are actually more arrests to come in this incident,” highlighting an active manhunt and ongoing forensic work by detectives.
A Courtroom Appearance and Family’s Mixed Grief
Earnest Lloyd Jr. appeared for a brief hearing in Jackson, where a judge denied him bond, according to reports from local affiliate WAPT cited by ABC News. Like Fortune and the first suspect arrested in the case, Lloyd is Black.
Tasia Fortune’s mother, Christy Spivey, attended the hearing in Jackson.
“My family is not the only family that this is affecting,” Spivey said, as reported by CBS News. “I feel for them as well. The only difference is that mine can never come back. I’ll never truly have peace.”
Spivey noted that neither she nor her daughter’s friends recognized Lloyd, adding that the family maintains a posture of patience while emphasizing that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The Investigation Timeline and the Third Suspect
The initial arrest in the case occurred on September 11, when 51-year-old Jarques Ratliff was taken into custody on murder charges. According to an affidavit detailed by local media and ABC News, Ratliff is accused of using a black cable cord to hang Fortune from a tree behind an abandoned Jackson home. Ratliff pleaded not guilty during a September 14 hearing and remains jailed without bond.
Chief Brackney previously noted an “association” between Ratliff and Fortune, though police have not elaborated on the exact nature of their relationship or suggested a definitive motive for the killing. Following Ratliff’s arrest, Jackson police interviewed over a dozen individuals and processed extensive forensic evidence.
With Lloyd’s arrest, the net has widened further. Police announced that an arrest warrant has been issued for a third suspect. Because authorities have not publicly released the identity or alleged link of this third individual, the Jackson Police Department has turned the warrant over to the U.S. Marshals Service for assistance.
Echoes of Unsettled History in Mississippi
Although law enforcement has not indicated that race played a role in the homicide, Fortune’s death has resonated deeply across the region because the manner of death recalls historical lynchings in Mississippi. The tragedy also arrives roughly one year after the hanging deaths of 21-year-old Trey Reed, a Black student at Delta State University, and Cory Zukatis, an unhoused White man, both in Vicksburg, Mississippi. While those deaths were officially ruled suicides, Reed’s family and legal representatives have continued pushing for independent autopsies.
Fortune, a native of Kentucky, had lived in Jackson for approximately a decade. Relatives shared that she was a resilient person who had faced struggles with homelessness in recent years but was actively trying to rebuild her life, having recently talked about launching a cleaning business.
As the legal proceedings unfold for both Ratliff and Lloyd, the Jackson Police Department urges anyone with relevant information to come forward as federal and local authorities prepare to execute additional warrants.
