Jackson, Mississippi police have taken a suspect into custody after medical examiners officially classified the death of a woman found hanging from a tree as a homicide, authorities announced Friday.
Police Chief RaShall Brackney confirmed during a news conference that investigators arrested Jarques Ratliff in connection with the death of Tasia Fortune, 29. The arrest followed the medical examiner's determination that Fortune's death was a homicide rather than a suicide.
"Last night, the medical examiner's office officially classified Miss Fortune's death as a homicide. With that determination, our investigators moved quickly," Brackney said at the news conference Friday, according to TMZ.com.
Investigators had obtained two search warrants and an arrest warrant for Ratliff. Officers initially attempted to locate him at the address listed on the warrant but were unsuccessful. However, while returning to headquarters, police spotted Ratliff walking down the street and apprehended him.
Fortune was discovered last month hanging from a tree outside an abandoned house. According to reports, she was found in a hanging position with various states of decomposition on her body.
Fortune's mother, Christy Spivey, had previously rejected the possibility that her daughter took her own life. "I know my daughter and she did not do this to herself," Spivey told ABC News.
Chief Brackney indicated that the investigation remains active and additional arrests may be forthcoming. "That arrest today is an important development in this investigation but it is not the conclusion," she said at the news conference, according to TMZ.com.
The case continues to develop as investigators pursue additional leads in the homicide investigation.