LOS ANGELES — An autopsy report reveals distressing new details surrounding the death of Maleesa Mooney, a pregnant Los Angeles model found dead in her apartment last month. Authorities discovered Mooney’s body during a welfare check on September 12, and the autopsy report shows that she was bound, gagged, brutally beaten, and placed inside her refrigerator. The report also indicates that traces of cocaine and alcohol were found in her system.
According to the autopsy report, Mooney’s body was discovered with her wrists and ankles bound and tied together behind her back using electronic cords and clothing items. Clothing was also found stuffed in her mouth, presumably to silence her. According to investigators, Mooney was killed in an act of homicidal violence that resulted in blunt-force trauma to her torso, arms, and head.
Mooney, who was two months pregnant at the time of her death, had been last seen on September 6 on security camera footage at her apartment complex. The footage also captured an unidentified male using her key to access the building elevator and carrying plastic bags to the apartment.
Authorities have yet to make any arrests in connection with Mooney’s killing. Her case has raised questions about a possible connection to the death of another model, Nichole “Nikki” Coats, who was found dead in her apartment just three miles away two days before Mooney’s body was discovered. However, the medical examiner later determined that Coats’ death was the result of an accidental overdose of alcohol and cocaine.
Mooney’s family remembers her as a peacemaker and a source of joy. Her sister, Guyanese pop singer Jourdin Pauline, describes her as someone who brought loved ones together. The family is devastated by the loss.