Second Suspect Arrested In Death Of Mississippi Woman
5 hours ago
Mississippi authorities have arrested a second man in connection with the death of 29-year-old Tasia Fortune, whose body was found hanging from a tree behind a vacant home in Jackson last month.
Jackson police arrested 25-year-old Earnest Lloyd Jr. on Tuesday and charged him with murder. Police Chief RaShall Brackney announced the arrest during a Jackson City Council meeting. Lloyd was denied bond Wednesday.
Fortune, a mother of four, was found dead Aug. 3 behind a vacant home on Road of Remembrance in west Jackson. The medical examiner’s office has classified her death as a homicide, although authorities have not publicly released her exact cause of death or announced a possible motive.
Lloyd is the second person charged in the case. Police previously arrested 51-year-old Jarques Ratliff on Sept. 11 and charged him with murder. Ratliff has pleaded not guilty and remains in custody without bond.
Police previously said Ratliff had an “association” with Fortune but have not publicly provided additional details about their relationship. Investigators have interviewed more than a dozen people, collected forensic evidence and followed numerous leads as part of the investigation.
Authorities are also searching for at least one additional suspect. Jackson police said an arrest warrant for a third person has been turned over to the U.S. Marshals Service, but officials are not releasing that suspect’s identity. Police say additional warrants could also be issued as the investigation continues.
The circumstances of Fortune’s death have drawn national attention because she was a Black woman found hanging from a tree in Mississippi, imagery that has evoked the state’s history of lynching and racial violence. Police have not announced evidence indicating a racial motive, and Fortune’s mother, Christy Spivey, has said she believes her daughter’s death was personal rather than racially motivated.
Fortune’s family has urged the public to allow investigators to establish the facts of the case as the investigation continues. Her mother attended Lloyd’s court hearing Wednesday and said she was relieved to see arrests being made while emphasizing that the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Jackson police arrested 25-year-old Earnest Lloyd Jr. on Tuesday and charged him with murder. Police Chief RaShall Brackney announced the arrest during a Jackson City Council meeting. Lloyd was denied bond Wednesday.
Fortune, a mother of four, was found dead Aug. 3 behind a vacant home on Road of Remembrance in west Jackson. The medical examiner’s office has classified her death as a homicide, although authorities have not publicly released her exact cause of death or announced a possible motive.
Lloyd is the second person charged in the case. Police previously arrested 51-year-old Jarques Ratliff on Sept. 11 and charged him with murder. Ratliff has pleaded not guilty and remains in custody without bond.
Police previously said Ratliff had an “association” with Fortune but have not publicly provided additional details about their relationship. Investigators have interviewed more than a dozen people, collected forensic evidence and followed numerous leads as part of the investigation.
Authorities are also searching for at least one additional suspect. Jackson police said an arrest warrant for a third person has been turned over to the U.S. Marshals Service, but officials are not releasing that suspect’s identity. Police say additional warrants could also be issued as the investigation continues.
The circumstances of Fortune’s death have drawn national attention because she was a Black woman found hanging from a tree in Mississippi, imagery that has evoked the state’s history of lynching and racial violence. Police have not announced evidence indicating a racial motive, and Fortune’s mother, Christy Spivey, has said she believes her daughter’s death was personal rather than racially motivated.
Fortune’s family has urged the public to allow investigators to establish the facts of the case as the investigation continues. Her mother attended Lloyd’s court hearing Wednesday and said she was relieved to see arrests being made while emphasizing that the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
