Woman kills ex-partner she’s visiting, then crashes car with body in it, officials say
.png "Liara Kaylee Tsai was killed and her body was found in the backseat of her car in Minnesota. One person has been arrested.")
An Iowa woman is accused of killing her ex-partner in Minnesota, then crashing a car with the body inside, court records say.
The Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office responded to a June 22 crash on a highway. Deputies say the vehicle was being driven by Margot Lewis, 32, and in the backseat they found 35-year-old Liara Kaylee Tsai dead.
Authorities say Tsai’s condition was “suspicious” at the time and she did not die from the crash, McClatchy News previously reported.
Tsai’s body was wrapped in blood-soaked bedding and she had a “gaping puncture” wound on her neck, according to a criminal complaint.
Authorities went to Tsai’s home and found a “scene indicating violence,” deputies said.
At Tsai’s home, authorities found blood on her bed and in the bathroom, the criminal complaint said. A kitchen knife was missing and items normally found in a car trunk were found inside the home, the complaint said.
Lewis was in town visiting Tsai and was staying with her, according to friends who spoke with investigators, court records said. Surveillance video from Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport showed Tsai picking Lewis up on June 21, the complaint said.
One of Tsai’s former partners told investigators that Tsai’s relationship with Lewis was “sordid and emotionally challenging,” the complaint said.
The initial cause of death is listed as multiple sharp-force injuries, deputies said.
Lewis is charged with felony interference with a dead body or scene of death – conceal body in Olmsted County and two counts of second-degree murder in Hennepin County, according to court records. She is being held on $1 million bail. Attorney information for Lewis was not available.
Olmsted County is about a 100-mile drive southeast from Minneapolis.
This story was originally published June 27, 2024 at 12:26 PM with the headline "Woman kills ex-partner she’s visiting, then crashes car with body in it, officials say."
