Key Facts

• Tasia Fortune’s body was found hanging from a tree on August 3, 2026, in Jackson, Mississippi.
• Investigators say she was dead before being hanged, meaning the hanging was staged after her death.
• Police have not released the exact cause of death but ruled it a homicide.
• Two men have been arrested on murder charges, and a third person is wanted.
• The killing appears to be connected to a drug dispute.
• Jarques Ratliff, one of the arrested men, has pleaded not guilty and is in jail.
• Fortune’s mother said Tasia struggled with homelessness and was trying to improve her life.
• The case reminds people of the painful history of racial violence in Mississippi.