Third Suspect Arrested in Death of Tasia Fortune

A third suspect has been arrested on murder charges in the death of Tasia Fortune, a 29-year-old Black mother of four whose body was discovered hanging from a tree behind a vacant home in Jackson, Mississippi, on August 3.

Police arrested Eric Clark, 45, on Friday, according to the Jackson Police Department. Clark is scheduled to appear in court on Monday. It is not clear if he has an attorney. Clark's arrest follows the earlier arrests of two other Black men charged with murder in Fortune's death.

Earnest Lloyd Jr., 25, one of the previously arrested suspects, had his bond denied during a hearing on September 23. Jarques Ratliff, 51, was arrested on September 11 and charged with murder. An affidavit states Ratliff is accused of using a black cable cord to hang Fortune from a tree. Ratliff pleaded not guilty during a September 14 hearing and was also denied bond.

During a pre-trial hearing for Ratliff on Friday, police disclosed that Fortune was killed in a drug dispute before her body was hung in a tree in what they described as a "staged" scene, The Associated Press reported. A spokesperson for the Jackson Police Department did not respond to requests for comment on this detail.

Ratliff's attorney, Toney Baldwin, confirmed his client's not guilty plea but declined to comment further on the charges. Following Ratliff's arrest, Fortune's family released a statement expressing gratitude for the arrest and asking for public patience as the investigation proceeds. "We are hoping soon we will have more answers," the family said.

Christy Spivey, Fortune's mother, told ABC News in an interview on August 8 that her daughter's death has "devastated" the family. "Tasia was strong-minded, she was full of laughs and love, she had faith in God," Spivey said. "She had so little and gave so much."