Deputies responding to the scene of a car accident Saturday discovered a dead body hidden in a mattress in the back seat, officials said.
Authorities responded to a one-car accident on Interstate 90 around 7:00 a.m., Saturday, in Olmsted County, Minnesota, according to an Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) press release.
The driver of the vehicle, Margot Lewis, 32, was being tended to by a bystander outside the car when authorities arrived, the press release noted. While deputies were checking the vehicle to see if anyone else was inside, they discovered the body of a woman in the back seat, according to authorities.
“The condition of the deceased was suspicious, and it was immediately apparent that the death was not a result of the motor vehicle accident,” the press release stated.
The deceased woman was later identified by the local medical examiner as 35-year-old Liara Tsai from Minneapolis, Minnesota, the OCSO said. Her body was discovered roughly 100 miles away from Minneapolis, NBC News noted.
Lewis is from North Liberty, Iowa, according to NBC News. (RELATED: Police Conduct Routine Traffic Stop, End Up Finding Several Items That Movie Villain Would Have)
Tsai’s body was discovered wrapped in a blanket, a bed sheet, a mattress made in a futon style and a tarp, NBC News reported, citing a probable cause affidavit. The bed sheet was reportedly discovered with dried blood on it.
A large injury was discovered on the right side of the victim’s neck, the affidavit noted, according to NBC News.
Lewis was transported to a local hospital following the crash and was later transported to a detention center after being medically cleared, the OCSO said.
Lewis was arrested for “Interference with a Dead Body,” officials said. She is set to appear in court Tuesday.
