Maleesa Mooney, sister of Guyanese pop star Jourdin Pauline discovered MURDERED inside her luxurious Los Angeles high-rise apartment
The sister of Guyanese pop star Jourdin Pauline was found dead in her luxurious high-rise apartment in Los Angeles after her family requested a wellness check because their blue text conversations with her turned green.
Tributes poured in for aspiring model Maleesa Mooney, 31, as LA police launched a murder investigation after finding her dead in her apartment.
Mooney worked as a real estate agent at the Beverly Hills-based agency Nest Seekers and had only moved into her new home a month ago, her family said.
Police entered her Skye apartment on Bunker Hill on September 12, just before 4pm, and found the woman murdered. They didn’t say how long she had been dead.
The cause of death has not yet been announced.
Tributes poured in for aspiring model Maleesa Mooney, 31, as LA police launched a murder investigation after finding her dead in her apartment
Mooney (right) worked as a real estate agent at Beverly Hills-based agency Nest Seekers and had only moved into her new home a month ago, her family said
Her family knew something was wrong when their iPhone text conversations with Mooney turned from blue to green, indicating a change in Wi-Fi and data services.
Bailey Babb, Mooney’s cousin, told KTLA that the family requested a welfare check when she stopped answering her calls: “When a week went by, we just knew something was wrong.
“Her messages weren’t getting through and we knew something was going on because we all have a special relationship with Maleesa.”
Jourdin Pauline, her pop star sister who has 1.3 million followers on Instagram, said: “Maleesa has always been someone who is a peacemaker in our family, someone who has always been the backbone and makes everyone come together and love each other .
“So this is a very big part of us that’s gone now.”
She wrote in a heartfelt tribute on social media: ‘Never in a million years did I think I would have to make this post and get justice for my only sister, my heart is crushed.
“I can’t believe you won’t be here with us anymore. You were so loving and so kind to everyone. You made sure everyone around you was too. You opened your arms to people who didn’t deserve you as a friend. you are the best thing that could happen to the lives of almost everyone you touched!”
She added: ‘This feels so surreal I keep waking up crying and thinking I’m in a bad dream. We will get justice for you, my sister. I promise you won’t be gone for nothing!’
Pauline said her sister’s iCloud had an alert that she was still online, leading her to believe her killer was trying to steal and sell her iPhone and MacBook.
Her family knew something was wrong when their iPhone text conversations with Mooney changed from blue to green — indicating a change in Wi-Fi and data services
Mooney pictured with a friend
The building has a resort-style pool and sundeck and a central courtyard, as well as community barbecue grills, tennis courts and a dog park.
Jourdin Pauline, her pop star sister who has 1.3 million followers on Instagram, said: “Maleesa has always been someone who is a peacemaker in our family, someone who has always been the backbone and makes everyone come together and love each other ‘
And residents living in the 450-unit high-rise are said to have ‘raised the alarm’ about strange, suspicious activity in the building in recent weeks.
Rent for studios and one-bed apartments in the complex starts at $2,019 per month.
The building also has a resort-style pool and sundeck and a central courtyard, as well as community barbecue grills, tennis courts and a dog park.
The Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement: “(LAPD) Central Homicide Bureau investigators are asking for the public’s assistance with any information in a homicide investigation.
“On September 12, 2023, at approximately 3:54 p.m., LAPD Central Area uniformed patrol officers responded to a radio call for a welfare check in the 200 block of South Figueroa Street.
“Officers located a deceased victim (later identified as Maleesa Mooney) in an apartment.
‘Officers contacted the Central Homicide Bureau, who responded and took on investigative responsibility for the case.
“The investigation revealed that Maleesa Mooney was murdered in her apartment.
“The exact cause of death of Maleesa Mooney is unknown pending a post-mortem examination, which will be conducted by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office.
“The Los Angeles Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying all individuals responsible for the death of Maleesa Mooney.”