Police believe Tasia Fortune’s hanging was staged as new details revealed in court

A detective revealed the new details Friday during a court hearing for Jarques Ratliff, 51, one of two men arrested and charged with murder in her death. Ratliff pleaded not guilty at an earlier hearing this month and was denied bond. Fortune was found hanging from a tree behind the Jackson home on Aug. 3, and officials believe she had been dead for two or three days before anyone found her.

Investigators have not released a motive in the killing. The staging detail changes the shape of the case, turning what first looked like it might be read as a suicide into a homicide investigation built around where Fortune actually died, not just where her body ended up.

For Fortune's family, the court hearing offers the first real picture of what detectives think happened to her, even without a clear answer on why. Ratliff remains behind bars while the case moves forward, and a second man arrested in connection with her death faces his own charges.