Police in Mississippi have arrested a second man in the death of a Black woman, Tasia Fortune, found hanging from a tree. They have also issued an arrest warrant for a third suspect.
RELATED: Alleged Suspect Arrested In Tasia Fortune’s Case After Medical Examiner Rules Death A Homicide (VIDEO)
Man Arrested In Connection To Tasia Fortune’s Death
Jackson police said late Tuesday (Sept. 22) that they arrested 25-year-old Earnest Lloyd Jr. in the death of 29-year-old Tasia Fortune. As said, her body was found hanging behind an abandoned home in the city on Aug. 3.
Like Fortune and the first man arrested, 51-year-old Jarques Ratliff, Lloyd is Black. Lloyd appeared at a brief hearing on Wednesday in Jackson, Mississippi. Meanwhile, Ratliff was arrested earlier this month on murder charges. He pleaded not guilty and remains jailed without bond.
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Tasia’s Mom Reacts To Second Arrest In Daughter’s Passing
Fortune’s mother, Christy Spivey, who attended the recent hearing, said afterward that she was ecstatic to see arrests made in her daughter’s death. She said that neither she nor several of her daughter’s friends knew Lloyd. Additionally, she cautioned that everyone is innocent until proven guilty.
“My family is not the only family that this is affecting,” Christy Spivey said of the defendants’ families. “I feel for them as well. The only difference is that mine can never come back.” She added, “I’ll never truly have peace.”
A Kentucky native, Tasia Fortune had four children and had been living in Jackson for about a decade, relatives said. Spivey previously said her daughter struggled with homelessness in recent years, and that she wasn’t sure where her daughter was living at the time of her death. She said that before her death, her daughter had talked about starting a cleaning business and was trying to get her life in order.
Police Is Looking For A Third Suspect
Mississippi police said in a statement that they issued an arrest warrant for a third suspect. However, they gave no details about that person’s identity or alleged link to Tasia Fortune’s death. They also said they expect to issue additional warrants.
After the arrest of Jarques Ratliff (the first suspect), Jackson’s police chief, RaShall Brackney, said Ratliff had an “association” with Fortune but didn’t elaborate.
Police haven’t suggested a possible motive for the killing or said whether they think race played a role. Still, the case has attracted widespread attention because the manner of death recalled lynchings in the Southern state.
RELATED: Police Say They’re Considering All Possibilities In The Hanging Death Of A Black Man In North Carolina (UPDATE)
Associated Press writer Sophie Bates contributed to this report via AP Newsroom.
