Pregnant model Maleesa Marie Mooney was found beaten and tied up in a refrigerator in her Los Angeles apartment with “blunt force injuries,” an autopsy found.
The latest autopsy report on the model, 31, conducted by the LA County Department of Medical Examiner, revealed that her body was beaten, tied up and then stuffed into her refrigerator. PEOPLE reported.
The report calls her death “homicidal violence” and reveals “blunt traumatic injuries” to her body, with the presence of cocaine and alcohol in her system detected through toxicology tests.
Mooney was found dead on September 12, just two days after the body of another Black model was found less than three miles away.
LA police have launched a murder investigation but have not yet made any arrests in connection with the disturbing death.
The model was two months pregnant and had a doctor’s appointment scheduled for the week after her death.
The latest autopsy report on Maleesa Mooney reveals that her body was beaten, tied up and then stuffed into her refrigerator
The report calls her death “homicidal violence” and reveals “blunt traumatic injuries” to her body, with traces of cocaine and alcohol found by toxicology tests.
The model was expecting a child at two months pregnant and had a doctor’s appointment scheduled for the week after her death
Earlier this month, Mooney’s sister, Jourdine Pauline, said the pregnant model died in a slow struggle.
She said NewsNation: ‘She was confused, both her ankles were broken… her hands, her legs. These are very gruesome details. she was definitely confused. It didn’t happen that quickly.’
Despite the fact that the autopsy report on the mysterious death reveals harrowing details, the medical examiner is unable to determine “what role, if any, drugs or alcohol played in her death.”
“The traumatic blunt force injuries observed at autopsy are generally not considered acutely life-threatening in themselves,” the medical examiner wrote.
“However, based on the circumstances under which Ms. Mooney was found, these injuries indicate that she was likely involved in a physical altercation prior to her death.”
Mooney was last seen on surveillance footage at her Skye apartment on Bunker Hill on September 6 before she went missing.
Her concerned family requested a welfare check for the young mother, prompting police to enter her apartment to conduct a search on September 12.
Mooney worked as a real estate agent at the Beverly Hills-based agency Nest Seekers and had moved into her new home only a month before her death, her family said.
Jourdin Pauline, her pop star sister who has 1.3 million followers on Instagram, said she recently found out her sister was expecting a child. She was two months pregnant and had a doctor’s appointment scheduled for the week after her tragic death
Mooney pictured with a friend. She was apparently beaten so severely that the funeral director cried and told the family that it was too traumatic for them to look at the body.
The family knew something was wrong when iPhone text conversations with Mooney changed from blue to green, indicating a change in Wi-Fi and data services.
“When a week went by, we just knew something wasn’t right,” Bailey Babb, Mooney’s cousin, told KTLA
“Her messages weren’t getting through and we knew something was going on because we all have a special relationship with Maleesa,” Babb said.
Mooney was reportedly beaten so severely that the funeral director cried and told the family it was too traumatic for them to look at the body, Pauline said.
“All I know is that it was a torturous act,” she added. “They (the suspect) did several things to her body, you know?” The police can’t even determine what exactly took her.”
“Why would anyone do this to her, you know. It’s just really screwed up. We just need to find the people who want to do this. what did my sister do to deserve that.’
Nichole “Nikki” Coats, 32, was found dead on September 10, two days before Mooney was found dead. Coats was found dead during a bloody scene in her South Grand Avenue apartment
“I need to get the word out so people are aware and can be safer,” she added.
The murder remains shrouded in mystery as police continue to hunt for a suspect in connection with the gruesome murder.
The preliminary investigation found no signs of forced entry and it remains unclear whether Mooney knew the killer and how they entered the building.
Another model, Nichole “Nikki” Coats, 32, was found dead on September 10, two days before Mooney was found dead.
Coats was found dead during a bloody scene in her South Grand Avenue apartment.
Los Angeles police confirmed that both deaths were ‘unrelated’ after suggestions a serial killer may be on the loose.
Mooney’s apartment on South Figueroa Street is 1 mile away from Coats.
Residents of Mooney’s 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 central courtyard, as well as community barbecue grills, tennis courts and a dog park.
Pauline, a Guyanese pop star with 1.3 million Instagram followers, posted about her sister after her death, saying Mooney was a “peacemaker” in their family.
“Malesa has always been someone who is a peacemaker in our family, someone who has always been the backbone and made everyone come together and love each other,” she wrote.