A black mother-of-four whose body was found hanging from a tree in Mississippi was already dead by the time she was discovered, according to a detective.

Police detective Samuel Dukes told Jackson Municipal Court on Friday that the hanging of Tasia Fortune, 29, was 'staged,' the Associated Press reported.

Dukes added that Fortune had been killed over a drug dispute and that she fought her assailants hard before her death.

The Jackson police detective cited the medical examiner's opinion when he made the revelation about Fortune's death, according to the outlet.

Fortune's body was found on August 3 outside an abandoned home on the 500 block of Road of Remembrance by Jackson police officers.

The death was ruled a homicide by the state medical examiner's office on September 10.

Her case has attracted attention because of the Southern state's extensive history with lynchings.

Jarques Ratliff, 51, was taken into custody by Jackson police one day later, with Earnest Lloyd Jr, 25, being arrested late Tuesday and Eric Clark, 45, on Friday. The three men, all black, have been charged with murder.

Ratliff was appearing in court for a preliminary hearing to determine whether his case would be taken up by a grand jury for a possible indictment.

During the hearing, Ratliff said that he was friends with Fortune.

Investigators believe that Fortune's body was at the Road of Remembrance site for two to three days, per WJTV.

Her cause of death is yet to be revealed, with police offering few public details to date.

Law enforcement were pointed in Ratliff's direction by several witness statements, according to investigators.

Ratliff, who is believed to have been around Fortune before her death, also told law enforcement that the two were friends, per the outlet.

He appeared to have glassy eyes during questioning, a detective testified. However, a drug test was not conducted.

Results are still pending for a DNA sample taken from Ratliff. Items believed to belong to him still need to be tested, according to the outlet.

Toney Baldwin, Ratliff's defense attorney, pushed back on the allegations linking his client to Fortune's death.

Baldwin said the prosecution had not given Ratliff 'one reason to lock him up in jail with no bond and call him a flight risk,' according to WLOX.

'It's very important that you divulge the information,' Baldwin said.

Dukes noted that he was 'not going to give my evidence' and that he would 'hold' comment about what Ratliff had told police 'for the grand jury,' the outlet reported.

The detective testified that Ratliff had been questioned twice before being put behind bars.

He told the court that Ratliff made comments regarding Fortune's death that 'you would only know if you were there,' according to the outlet.

That included 'an account of her ability to protect herself,' Dukes said.

He also told the court that Ratliff and Fortune had been 'intimate with each other' and had stayed at the same property.

Dukes added that law enforcement had a witness who could testify about Ratliff's involvement and that she had been killed for taking the alleged murderer's illegal drugs.

After more than an hour in court, Judge Lilli Bass determined that Ratliff's case would resume on September 30. He will remain in jail without bond until then.

Lloyd Jr was arrested earlier this week and charged with murder in connection to Fortune's death, according to WLBT.

He was denied bond on Wednesday morning after appearing in court for the first time.

Jackson police accused Lloyd of hanging Fortune with a black cable cord, per the outlet.

Law enforcement claimed that Lloyd had an altercation with Fortune days or minutes before she died, per the outlet.

Meanwhile, Clark turned himself in on Friday and was charged with murder, WJTV reported.

Fortune's mother, Christy Spivey, said she was aware her daughter died before her body was found hanged. The family previously pushed back on the idea that Fortune took her own life.

'What bothered me was they said Tasia fought for her life,' Spivey said. 'I know she did. I know my daughter.'

She said that Ratliff's claim about them being friends 'sounded sincere,' as Fortune 'had a lot of friends.'

'I hope if he is innocent that he can prove he's innocent,' Spivey added. 'We don't want any innocent people going to jail.'

Fortune had recently struggled with homelessness and had discussed starting a cleaning business.

The Daily Mail has reached out to the Hinds County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, Baldwin and the Jackson Police Department for further comment.