In a chilling revelation, the body of Los Angeles model Maleesa Mooney was discovered inside her refrigerator, her mouth gagged and limbs bound, with traces of cocaine detected in her system.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office had previously classified her death as "homicidal violence" earlier this month. However, the gruesome specifics of how the 31-year-old's remains were found in her downtown LA residence were disclosed in an autopsy report late Friday, as reported by The Post.
The autopsy revealed blunt force injuries to Mooney's face, head, back, and upper left arm. The toxicology report also indicated the presence of benzoylecgonine, a cocaine metabolite, along with a combination of cocaethylene and ethanol. "The blunt force traumatic injuries observed at autopsy are generally not considered acutely life-threatening on their own," the autopsy report stated.
It also added, "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. Given this, the role that drugs and/or alcohol may have played in Ms. Mooneys death, if any, is uncertain."
Mooney was discovered deceased in her South Figueroa Street apartment on September 12, following a "welfare check" requested by her mother. Upon entering the apartment, officers found a pool of blood beneath her lifeless body, which was "wedged in the refrigerator," as per the report.
The coroner officials, considering the blunt force injuries on her body and the condition in which it was found, concluded the manner of her death as a homicide. There was also evidence suggesting that the model was strangled.
An alert on Mooney's iCloud indicated that someone was using her devices, leading her family to believe that her murderer was attempting to sell her iPhone and MacBook, they informed ABC 7. Mooney's sister, model Jourdin Pauline, revealed to local TV station KTLA that her sister was two months pregnant at the time of her death and had always aspired to be a mother. "I can't imagine what my sister went through and it pains me to even think about it," she told the outlet.
Mooney had only recently moved into the approximately 450-unit luxury apartment building the previous month. Her shocking death has instilled fear among local residents, particularly following the death of another model, Nichole "Nikki" Coats, found dead in her own downtown LA apartment just two days prior to Mooney.
Coats' family members initially suspected their 32-year-old daughter was also murdered, but an autopsy report released two days ago revealed she had died of an accidental overdose of cocaine and alcohol. LAPD officials stated there was no evidence to suggest a connection between the models' deaths.
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