A third arrest has been made in connection with the death of a woman found hanging in Jackson.
Jackson police report that 45-year-old Eric Clark turned himself in to law enforcement on Friday. He is charged with murder and is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 28. He joins 51-year-old Jarques Ratliff and 25-year-old Earnest Lloyd Jr. in facing charges in this case.
Fortune, a mother of four children, was discovered 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. The State Medical Examiner’s Office ruled her death a homicide and indicated that the hanging was staged.
Authorities believe Fortune may have been killed at another location. Her cause of death has not been disclosed at this time. Investigators have expressed in court that her death might have been the result of a dispute over missing illegal drugs.
In the meantime, officials have taken DNA samples from Ratliff and some of Fortune’s possessions that might have actually belonged to the defendant. Ratliff told authorities that he and Fortune were friends. Law enforcement believe he was around the victim before her death
Jackson Police Department detectives say they have interviewed as many as 15 individuals, collected and preserved forensic evidence, and followed numerous leads in an effort to establish the facts of this case. The department added that it will continue to investigate Fortune’s death until all inividuals believed to be involved are held accountable.