Jackson police told a municipal hearing that investigators believe the Aug. 3 hanging death of 29-year-old Tasia Fortune was staged and that she was killed at a different location before her body was moved to a vacant lot. Detective Samuel Dukes implicated Jarques Ratliff, 51, as one of at least three people connected to the case and said investigators suspect illegal narcotics, not a racially motivated attack. Ratliff's attorney disputed the findings, citing no surveillance footage of the lot and no direct proof of where Fortune was killed. Authorities say Eric Clark surrendered and faces a murder charge, and Earnest Lloyd Jr. has also been arrested and charged.
Jackson Police Testify Tasia Fortune's Hanging Was Staged; Three Arrested, Narcotics Suspected
Police is Jackson, Miss., have testified that the death of a Black woman whose body was found hanging in a tree last month was staged. File Photo Ali Ali/EPA
Sept. 26 (UPI) — Jackson, Miss. — Police told a municipal hearing Friday that investigators believe the Aug. 3 discovery of 29-year-old Tasia Fortune hanging from a tree was staged, and that she was killed at a different location before her body was moved to a vacant lot, authorities said.
Jackson Police Detective Samuel Dukes testified before Judge Lilli Evans Bass that an initial investigation concluded Fortune was slain elsewhere and her body subsequently suspended from a tree in a vacant lot, according to reports from The Mississippi Clarion Ledger and WJTV-TV.
The discovery on Aug. 3 prompted alarm among residents because of Mississippi's long history of racial violence and lynchings. Dukes, however, told the hearing that investigators currently believe illegal narcotics—not a racially motivated attack—are at the center of the case.
Suspects and Charges
In his testimony, Dukes identified Jarques Ratliff, 51, as one of at least three people connected to the investigation. Jackson police also said that 45-year-old Eric Clark surrendered to authorities and faces a murder charge, and that 25-year-old Earnest Lloyd Jr. has been arrested and charged with murder.
Defense Response and Ongoing Investigation
An attorney for Ratliff challenged the conclusions presented at the hearing, noting there is no surveillance footage of the vacant lot where Fortune was found and arguing there is no direct evidence proving she was killed at another location. Authorities have not released further details as the investigation continues and court proceedings move forward.
Note: Charges and claims made during an investigation are allegations; those accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
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