Disturbing new details have come to light about a pregnant Los Angeles model found dead in her apartment last month.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, police on September 12 were called to perform a welfare check on 31-year-old Maleesa Mooney and came upon her body while searching her apartment on South Figueroa Street.
A newly released autopsy report shows exactly where Mooney’s body was found: She was bound, gagged, brutally beaten, and stuffed inside her refrigerator, KTLA-TV reports.
Inside the refrigerator, Mooney’s wrists and ankles were bound and tied together behind her back. The bindings consisted of “miscellaneous electronic cords and clothing items,” according to the autopsy report.
Mooney also had clothing stuffed in her mouth, presumably to gag her.
Investigators determined Mooney likely died from “homicidal violence,” including blunt force trauma to her torso, arms, and head, the report states.
“The blunt force traumatic injuries observed at autopsy are generally not considered life-threatening on their own,” the report reads. “However, based on the circumstances of how Ms. Mooney was found, these injuries suggest she was likely involved in [a] violent physical altercation prior to her death.”
Traces of cocaine and alcohol were found in her system. Police have not announced any arrests in connection with the killing.
Investigators believe Mooney was two months pregnant when she was killed. She had been seen last on September 6 on security camera footage at her apartment complex. The footage also shows an unknown male using her key to access the building elevator and carrying plastic bags to the apartment, FOX 11 reports.
In addition to her modeling work, Mooney was an art dealer and a licensed real estate agent.
Two days before Mooney was found dead, 32-year-old model Nichole “Nikki” Coats was also found dead inside her apartment just three miles from where Mooney lived, raising questions about whether the cases were connected. However, the medical examiner later determined that Coats died from accidentally overdosing on alcohol and cocaine, according to PEOPLE magazine.
Mooney’s sister, Guyanese pop singer Jourdin Pauline, said Mooney brought her loved ones so much joy.
“Maleesa has always been someone who is a peacemaker in our family, someone that’s always been the backbone, and making sure everyone’s getting together, loving on each other,” Pauline told KTLA-TV. “So this is a really big piece of us that’s gone now.”
To report information about Mooney’s case, call the LAPD at 213-996-4150. To leave an anonymous tip, call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
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[Feature Photo: Maleesa Mooney/Instagram]
