Third Arrest Made in Tasia Fortune Case as Police Reveal Hanging Was Staged

The Investigation and Staged Scene

Authorities disclosed on Friday that an autopsy investigation determined “the scene and the hanging were staged.” Testifying during a preliminary hearing, Jackson Police Detective Samuel Dukes stated that investigators believe Fortune was killed at another location before her body was placed behind the vacant home on the Road of Remembrance in West Jackson. Dukes testified that investigators believe Fortune had been dead for two to three days before her body was discovered on August 3.

Detectives have interviewed as many as 15 people, collected forensic evidence, and followed numerous leads in the ongoing investigation led by the Jackson Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division.

Arrests and Court Proceedings

Eric Clark surrendered to authorities on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, and is scheduled to appear in court on Monday, Sept. 28. His arrest follows those of two other men also charged with murder in connection with Fortune’s death.

The first suspect arrested was 51-year-old Jarques Ratliff, who was taken into custody on Sept. 11. During court proceedings on Sept. 14, law enforcement personnel cited an affidavit claiming that Fortune had been suspended from the tree using a black cable cord. Testifying at a Sept. 25 preliminary hearing, Detective Dukes stated that Ratliff and Fortune were friends and had been “intimate with each other” prior to her death. Ratliff, who pleaded not guilty, was denied bond. His attorney, Toney Baldwin, told reporters after the hearing, “All we want is the truth to come out. My heart goes out to the family because it’s a tragedy, but we do want the truth.”

The second suspect, 25-year-old Earnest Lloyd Jr., was arrested on Sept. 22 and appeared in court on Sept. 23, where he also pleaded not guilty and was denied bond. Police accused Lloyd of having a physical altercation with Fortune either days or minutes before her death, with witnesses observing Lloyd chasing Fortune sometime prior to the incident, according to NBC affiliate WLBT reporting cited in the source material.

Community Impact and Family Response

Fortune’s death drew national attention and sparked scrutiny due to its circumstances recalling Mississippi’s history of racial violence, though authorities have maintained the killing was not a hate crime. Christy Spivey, the mother of Fortune, shared with the Clarion Ledger that her daughter relocated to Jackson a decade ago from her native Kentucky, leaving behind four young children: Davion, age 7; Terence Jr., age 5; Tristian, age 4; and Donte’, age 1. Responding to statements made during court proceedings, Spivey noted, “I just hope they have the right people.”

Authorities ask anyone with information related to the case to contact the Jackson Police Department or Crime Stoppers.

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