Photo: Jackson Police Department, Etta Avolio/GoFundMe
Mississippi police have arrested a second man in connection with the death of Tasia Fortune, a Black woman whose body was found hanging from a tree in Jackson last month.
Jackson police arrested 25-year-old Earnest Lloyd Jr. on Tuesday (September 22) and charged him with murder in Fortune’s death, according to The Associated Press. Police have also issued an arrest warrant for a third suspect but have not released that person’s identity.
Fortune, 29, was found hanging behind an abandoned home in Jackson on August 3. The Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office ruled her death a homicide in September, prompting police to make their first arrest in the case.
The first suspect, 51-year-old Jarques Ratliff, was arrested September 11 and charged with murder. He has pleaded not guilty and remains jailed without bond. Ratliff and Lloyd are both Black, as was Fortune.
Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney previously said Ratliff had an “association” with Fortune but did not explain the nature of their relationship. Police have not announced a possible motive or said whether they believe race played a role in her death.
The case has drawn national attention because Fortune was found hanging from a tree, evoking the history of lynching in Mississippi and across the South. Authorities have continued to stress that the investigation is active and that they are following the evidence.
Fortune was a mother of four and a Kentucky native who had lived in Jackson for about a decade. Her mother, Christy Spivey, has previously said she does not believe her daughter died by suicide.
Police are now seeking the third person named in an arrest warrant as the investigation continues.
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