DJ Found Dead with Neck Wound in Car Crash; Driver Charged with Interference
A woman has been found dead in the back of a car, wrapped in a bed sheet, blanket, futon-style mattress, and a tarp after a single car accident led to the discovery of her body.
The woman found dead by police in the back seat of a crashed vehicle was identified as Liara Tsai, a 35-year-old DJ who had suffered a cut to her neck and was wrapped in a blanket, bed sheets, and a mattress, according to authorities.
Tsai was discovered in a sub-compact car that crashed on a Minnesota highway on Saturday morning. Upon arrival, police quickly suspected her death was not due to the crash.
The car's driver, 32-year-old Margot Lewis from Iowa, is being held on a $1 million bond on suspicion of interference with a dead body. Lewis has reportedly refused to respond audibly to officers, citing a "spiritual vow of silence" and only communicates through sign language or writing.
Tsai was found wrapped in a bed sheet, blanket, futon-style mattress, and tarp, on a folded-down seat in the back of the car. She was described as “cold to the touch,” according to a search warrant affidavit and court documents.
Investigators noted a large wound on the side of Tsai’s neck near the carotid artery, leading them to conclude her death was not caused by the traffic crash.
Despite the crash, officers immediately deemed the condition of the deceased as suspicious. Police stated, “It was immediately apparent that the death was not a result of the motor vehicle accident.”
Lewis, who police said was driving, was found outside the vehicle being tended to by a passerby when officers arrived. She was believed to have been speeding when she hit a guardrail.
After being medically cleared at a hospital, Lewis was transferred to the Adult Detention Center, placed under arrest, and charged with Interference with a Dead Body. She received a $1 million unconditional bond and is due back in court on July 5. An autopsy reported Tsai’s death was caused by multiple sharp force injuries, classified as a homicide.
No one has been charged with Tsai's death yet. A Minneapolis police report classified her death as murder, involving a knife or other cutting instrument.
Tsai’s family and friends are mourning the loss of the woman who moved to the Twin Cities for its strong transgender community and her love of music. Kristen Sewell, Tsai’s sister, described the discovery of her body as “divine intervention, hands down.”
“Someone just took another person who was that light away,” Sewell said. “She was a phenomenal DJ... talented and drew a crowd.”
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said a welfare check at Tsai’s address revealed “a scene indicating violence.”
Steven Seuling, a friend who frequently hired Tsai as a DJ, recounted their last conversation. “She said a friend was coming to stay with her,” he told the Star Tribune. When she didn't answer texts on Saturday and failed to show up for a Sunday event, he and others grew concerned.
Tsai’s family issued a statement to ABC 6 News, calling her death “senseless and unfathomable.” “Her life, like every human life, matters. She was a beautiful soul who wanted nothing more than to show kindness through her life and music. We loved her immensely and our family has no words for the pain this has caused for us and the vast community of friends who had the honor of knowing her.”
