Pregnant model Maleesa Marie Mooney was found beaten and bound in a refrigerator at her Los Angeles apartment with ‘blunt force injuries’ an autopsy revealed.
The latest autopsy report on the model, 31, conducted by the LA County Department of Medical Examiner, revealed that her body was beaten, bound, and then stuffed into her refrigerator, PEOPLE reported.
The report lists her death as ‘homicidal violence’ and reveals ‘blunt force traumatic injuries’ to her body, with the presence of cocaine and alcohol detected in her system 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 launched a murder investigation but are yet to make arrests in connection to the unsettling 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, bound, and then stuffed into her refrigerator
The report lists her death as ‘homicidal violence’ and reveals ‘blunt force traumatic injuries’ to her body, with traces of cocaine and alcohol found by toxicology tests.
The model was expecting a child with two months pregnancy 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 told NewsNation: ‘She was in a struggle, both her ankles were broken … her hands, her legs. It’s very gruesome details. she was definitely in a struggle. It wasn’t something that quickly happened.’
Despite harrowing details being revealed by the autopsy report about the mysterious death, the medical examiner can’t determine ‘what role drugs or alcohol may have played in her death, if any.’
‘The blunt force traumatic injuries observed at autopsy are generally not considered acutely life threatening on their own,’ the medical examiner wrote.
‘However, based on the circumstances of how Ms. Mooney was found, these injuries suggest she was likely involved in violence physical altercation prior to her death.’
Mooney was last seen in surveillance footage at her apartment Skye at Bunker Hill on September 6 before going missing.
Her worried family requested a welfare check for the young mother-to-be prompting cops to enter her apartment to conduct a search on September 12.
Mooney worked as a real estate agent at Beverly Hills-based agency Nest Seekers and had only moved into her new home a month prior to her death, her family said.
Jourdin Pauline, her popstar 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 badly that the mortician cried, and told the family 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 – signaling a change in Wi-Fi and data services.
‘When a week went by, we just knew something was off,’ Bailey Babb, Mooney’s cousin, told KTLA
‘Her messages weren’t delivering and we knew something was up because we all have a special relationship with Maleesa,’ Babb said.
Mooney was reportedly beaten so badly that the mortician cried, and told the family it was too traumatic for them to look at the body, Pauline said.
‘All I know is it was a torturous act,’ she added. ‘They (the suspect) did multiple things to her body, you know?’ The police can’t even pinpoint what exactly took her.’
‘Why would someone do this to her, you know. It’s just really messed up. we just need to find the people who would 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 in a bloody scene inside her South Grand Avenue apartment
‘I need to get this word out so people can be aware, be more safe,’ she added.
The murder remains shrouded in mystery as police continue to hunt for a suspect in connection to the gruesome murder.
No signs of forced entry were evident in the preliminary investigation and it remains unclear whether Mooney knew the killer or 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 in a bloody scene inside her South Grand Avenue apartment.
Los Angeles cops confirmed both deaths were ‘not related’ after suggestion there may be a serial killer on the loose.
Mooney’s apartment on South Figueroa Street is located one mile away from Coats.
Residents living in Mooney’s 450-unit high-rise have allegedly been ‘raising the alarm’ about weird, suspicious activity in the building over the last few weeks.
Rent for studio and one-bed apartments at the complex start at $2,019 a month.
The building also has a resort-style pool and sundeck and central courtyard – as well as communal BBQ grills, tennis courts, and a dog park.
Pauline, a Guyanese pop star who has 1.3 million Instagram followers, posted about her sister after her death, sharing that Mooney was a ‘peacemaker’ in their family.
‘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,’ she wrote.