The death of a Los Angeles-based model who was found beaten, tied up, gagged and wedged inside a refrigerator remains a mystery, the lead LAPD detective has said, after the autopsy revealed no clear cause of death.
Maleesa Mooney, 31, was found dead on September 12 inside her home. Her family called the police after they had not heard from her for a week.
The medical examiner on October 5 concluded that she died of ‘homicidal violence’, but could not specify exactly how she died.
David Marcinek, LAPD’s lead detective in the case, told KTLA that he has never been involved in a murder where the coroner listed ‘homicidal violence’ as the cause of death.
The latest autopsy report on Maleesa Mooney reveals that her body was beaten, bound, and then stuffed into her refrigerator
David Marcinek, LAPD’s lead detective in the case, said he had never worked on a case where ‘homicidal violence’ was the cause of death
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.
Marcinek said they believe she died from the ‘totality’ of her injuries.
She had cocaine and alcohol in her system when she died, but her sister’s claim that she was pregnant at the time was disproved by the coroner.
Marcinek said the team has received many tips and reviewed security camera footage, but there have been no arrests so far.
He would not say whether they have identified a person of interest, but said it appears to be an isolated incident.
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.
Mooney’s sister, Jourdine Pauline, said she died following a ‘struggle’, and her death was not quick.
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.’
The medical examiner said they cannot determine ‘what role drugs or alcohol may have played in her death, if any.’
But they said the beating she endured was not enough to kill her.
‘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.’
The model was last seen on September 6: her body was found on September 12
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 – but the coroner said she was not pregnant
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
Mooney was last seen in surveillance footage at her apartment Skye at Bunker Hill on September 6.
Her worried family requested a welfare check.
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.
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?’