Police: Former partner charged with murder after woman found dead in Minneapolis

An Iowa resident was charged Wednesday with murdering his former partner and transporting her body to southern Minnesota, according to Hennepin County court records.

On Saturday morning, police arrived at the scene of a car crash in Olmsted County. They reportedly found the driver of the vehicle, 32-year-old Margot Lewis, sitting on a lawn chair in the median of Interstate 90 at the Highway 42 exit near Eyota.

Two people who stopped to offer help told police they saw a dead person in the back seat. Officers determined the person had not died in the car crash. He was wrapped in bedding and a mattress and covered with a tarp. He had a stab wound to his neck and was cold to the touch.

The victim – identified by Olmsted County officials as 35-year-old Liara Tsai – was the owner of the car.

The LQBTQ advocacy group OutFront Minnesota released a statement about Tsai, saying she is a DJ, producer, crisis counselor and a “beloved member of the trans community in Minnesota.”

“We mourn her loss and call for a full investigation into her death. Our deepest condolences go out to those closest to her; and to all who connected with her through her music. We hope Liara will be remembered for the music she created and the joy she brought to the public,” OutFront’s statement said.

An autopsy revealed that Tsai had died from numerous stab wounds.

Investigators went to Tsai’s apartment in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) from where her body was found.

“After executing the arrest warrant, investigators found a bloody scene and discovered that the victim’s bed and bedding were soaked in blood. A bloody plastic and metal object was also found in the bed. Small amounts of blood were found in the bathroom of the apartment,” the statement on the probable cause of action states.

Investigators also discovered that a knife was missing from the kitchen, but it was not found during a search of the apartment.

Investigators said Lewis was visiting Tsai from Boston. They found an airline flight number on the crashed car and confirmed through surveillance cameras at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport that Tsai’s vehicle picked Lewis up from the airport at 11:08 p.m. on June 21.

It is not yet clear when Tsai died.

Asked if the incident may have been motivated by anti-trans bias or a hate crime, Olmsted County Sheriff Kevin Torgerson said Wednesday there was no evidence of that, as both the suspect and victim are transgender. Police have referred to Lewis using they/them pronouns, though her gender is listed as unknown in court documents.

Torgerson also said it appears the crash was intentional.

Lewis is in custody in Olmsted County. He is accused of concealing a body. Officials obtained a search warrant for Lewis, who reportedly did not cooperate with the investigation.

“When officers attempted to lead her to a chair in the room, she became combative and pushed and kicked at officers. When officers informed her that they were going to cut her fingernails, (Lewis) clenched her hands into fists to prevent access to her nails,” the probable cause statement said.

The indictment states that a warrant will be sought to facilitate Lewis’ transfer from Olmsted County to Hennepin County.

If you or someone you know is in a dangerous situation with their partner, there is a statewide domestic violence hotline available 24 hours a day. You can call Minnesota DayOne at (866) 223-1111 or text (612) 399-9995.