Iowa troopers find the body when they pull over to help the stalled car

Unsuspecting Iowa troopers stumbled upon a disturbing situation Tuesday when they stopped to help a car stalled on the road and found a dead body in the passenger seat.

Jihad Abdul Malik Gasaway, 23, was charged with murder and abuse of a corpse, despite his claims that the deceased rider had been alive moments before police arrived, the the state public safety department said.

Gasaway was trying to restart his silver 2010 Chevrolet Malibu stuck on the side of the road in Malcolm shortly after 8 a.m. when troopers arrived to help, according to an affidavit. obtained by Law & Crime.

He asked for a jump and admitted to the officers that he was in possession of a 9 mm gun.

Troopers quickly noticed a second man lying slumped in the passenger seat “covered in various clothing,” the documents allege.

The man, later identified as 26-year-old Kemp Xavier Sherrod Harriel, was unresponsive and appeared to be suffering from gunshot wounds.

A 9mm shell casing was found on the front dashboard and two spent bullets were in the front passenger door, officials said.

Gasaway was arrested and placed inside the squad car, where he allegedly said, “Please be okay.”

During questioning, Gasaway told investigators that he and Harriel had left Cedar Rapids for Des Moines in the early hours of the morning.

He claimed he covered his friend because he “thought he was very cold” and “kept him warm because we were both cold,” the document said.

“I didn’t know (the victim) was missing until I looked into the police’s eyes and read his lips. That’s when I started crying in the car. He was alive and talking to me,” Gasaway reportedly said.

Gasaway later admitted that he had driven the Malibu into a ditch along the freeway earlier that morning, at which time Harriel was still alive.

When asked what happened to Harriel, Gasawy allegedly said, “We got into it.”

Investigators ruled that Harriel was fatally shot twice in the chest, the state medical examiner’s office ruled.

Gasaway is being held in the Poweshiek County Jail on $50,000 bond.