Bond has been denied for the man accused of killing a woman found hanging in Jackson.
Jarques Ratliff, 51, pled not guilty in connection with the death of Tasia Fortune, 24, during a Monday court appearance. He was arrested and charged with murder on Sept. 11 after the State Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Fortune’s passing a homicide. Fortune was found deceased on Road of Remembrance on Aug. 3. Police say her body was found in a hanging position from a tree behind a vacant house.
Ratliff was taken into custody after authorities executed two search warrants for his arrest. Ratliff, who was spotted walking along Capitol Street before being detained, is charged with murder. During his court appearance, authorities revealed that Ratliff had more than $3,000 in outstanding traffic fines and previously faced grand larceny and cocaine possession charges in an unrelated case.
As for Fortune’s death, Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney said Ratliff’s prosecution is an “important development” in the investigation into Fortune’s death but not the conclusion.
“This case remains active, and additional arrests will be pending as our investigators continue to follow evidence wherever it leads. We cannot speculate about the nature or manner by which Ms. Fortune was killed beyond what has been officially determined by the Medical Examiner,” Brackney said. “We owe it to Ms. Fortune, to her family, and the integrity of this investigation to let the evidence guide us.”
The Jackson police chief credited the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office, Hinds County Coroner Jeremiah Howard, and Mississippi Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell for assisting her team in the case.