A Man Asked a Stranger to Help Him Move Furniture. Then, a Dead Body Was Discovered — and He Was Charged with Murder

A man has been charged after a dead body was discovered when he asked a stranger to help him move furniture at a home in Texas.

Police initially responded to a report of suspicious activity at the residence in Harris County on Friday, May 16, according to a statement from Sheriff Ed Gonzalez of the Harris County Sheriff’s Department (HCSO).

Authorities then found “a deceased male wrapped up in what appeared to be a blanket,” Lieutenant Abraham Alanis said during a later press conference.

Steven Eberly has since been charged with murder and tampering with evidence, per court documents viewed by PEOPLE.

The body of the victim — who has been identified as Luis Silva Mendez, according to court documents seen by PEOPLE — was discovered at approximately 11 a.m. local time by a man Eberly had hired to move furniture at the home, NBC affiliate KPRC reported.

Eberly asked the stranger to help him relocate items into a truck, and Mendez’s body was then discovered wrapped in a blanket in a box, per the outlet.

According to KPRC, authorities claim to have later learned that some sort of incident occurred between Eberly and Mendez, which ultimately resulted in the latter’s death.

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After the body was discovered, KPRC reported that the stranger allegedly got into the truck and began driving down the street to get away from the scene, but Eberly allegedly jumped in after him and began smashing the windows in an attempt to stop the man from getting away.

The vehicle eventually crashed, and Eberly was injured, per KPRC.

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The home where the body was found reportedly belongs to Eberly’s girlfriend, KPRC reported. She told the outlet she was at work at the time of the incident.

The HCSO did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Saturday, May 17.