Police discover body hidden in mattress after car crash, authorities say

Officials said officers rushing to the scene of a car crash on Saturday discovered a body hidden in a mattress in the back seat.

According to a press release from the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO), authorities responded to a car crash on Interstate 90 in Olmsted County, Minnesota around 7:00 a.m. Saturday.

The driver of the vehicle, Margot Lewis, 32, was being tended to by a passerby outside the car when authorities arrived, the news release said. While officers checked the vehicle to see if anyone else was inside, they discovered the body of a woman in the back seat, authorities said.

“The condition of the deceased was suspicious and it was immediately clear that death was not the result of the car accident,” the press release said.

The deceased woman was later identified by the local medical examiner as 35-year-old Liara Tsai of Minneapolis, Minnesota, the OCSO said. Her body was discovered about 100 miles from Minneapolis, NBC News reported.

According to NBC News, Lewis is from North Liberty, Iowa. (RELATED: Police conduct routine traffic stop and end up finding several items the villain in the movie would have)

Tsai’s body was found wrapped in a blanket, a bed sheet, a futon-style mattress and a tarp, NBC News reported, citing a probable cause affidavit. Dried blood was reportedly found on the bed sheet.

According to NBC News, a large injury was found on the right side of the victim’s neck, the affidavit states.

Lewis was taken to a local hospital after the accident and later taken to a detention center after his medical evaluation, the OCSO said.

Lewis was arrested for “interfering with a corpse,” officials said. She is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.