Police Say 25-Year-Old Earnest Lloyd Jr. Is Charged With Murder As Investigators Continue Pursuing Additional Suspects In The Death Of The 29-Year-Old Mother Of Four
Jackson, Mississippi, police have arrested a second man in connection with the death of Tasia Fortune, the 29-year-old Black woman whose body was found hanging from a tree behind an abandoned home in August.
Authorities announced the arrest of 25-year-old Earnest Lloyd Jr. late Tuesday. Lloyd has been charged with murder and was denied bond during a brief court hearing Wednesday.
His arrest comes after 51-year-old Jarques Ratliff was taken into custody earlier this month on a murder charge. Ratliff has pleaded not guilty and remains jailed without bond.
Police have also issued a warrant for a third suspect and said additional warrants are expected as the investigation continues.
Investigators Allege Altercation Before Fortune’s Death
According to investigators cited by Mississippi television station WLBT, witnesses directed authorities to Lloyd.
Police allege Lloyd had been involved in a physical altercation with Fortune either days or minutes before her death. Investigators further contend that Lloyd used a black cable cord to hang Fortune and that multiple other people may have been involved.
Police and prosecutors have not publicly identified a suspected motive.
Fortune’s mother, Christy Spivey, attended Lloyd’s hearing and said she was relieved to see the investigation result in additional arrests. She said neither she nor several of Fortune’s close friends knew Lloyd.
Spivey also stressed that those accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
“My family is not the only family that this is affecting,” Spivey said, referring to the suspects’ relatives. “I feel for them as well. The only difference is that mine can never come back.”
“I’ll never truly have peace,” she added.
Death Drew Attention Because Of Mississippi’s Lynching History
Fortune’s body was discovered Aug. 3 behind an abandoned house in Jackson.
The circumstances surrounding her death quickly drew national attention, particularly amid concerns over several recent cases involving Black people found hanging across the South.
Related: A ‘National Crisis’: Nearly 60 Democrats Demand DOJ Investigate Black Americans Found Hanging From Trees
The manner of Fortune’s death also stirred painful memories of Mississippi’s history of racial lynchings.
Jackson activist Brad Jackson previously said the case had heightened concerns within the Black community because of that history.
“Black folks down here in 2026, we are feeling and experiencing some of the same things we felt in 1956 and 1966, and that should not be happening,” Jackson said.
Spivey, however, has said she does not believe race was a factor in her daughter’s death, describing what happened as appearing “personal.”
Police have likewise not publicly alleged that Fortune was targeted because of her race.
Fortune, a Kentucky native and mother of four, had lived in Jackson for about a decade. Her family said she had struggled with homelessness in recent years but had been talking about starting a cleaning business and working to put her life back together before her death.
The investigation remains ongoing.
