LOS ANGELES, CA – A grim coroner’s report has revealed chilling details surrounding the tragic death of 31-year-old model Maleesa Marie Mooney, whose lifeless body was discovered in her downtown Los Angeles apartment last month. According to the report, Mooney’s body was found inside her refrigerator, with her wrists and ankles bound, and her mouth gagged.
Concerns arose when Mooney’s family had not heard from her, prompting them to request a welfare check by the LAPD. Officers gained access to her apartment with the assistance of a key from the building manager, where they made the horrifying discovery of her body inside the refrigerator. The report further details that blood had pooled under the appliance, and her body was tightly bound with electric cords and clothing, with a makeshift gag made from clothing found in her mouth.
The coroner’s examination revealed a series of injuries, including blunt force trauma, lacerations, abrasions, and contusions on her face, head, back, and upper left arm, with one rib fracture. Additionally, a toxicology report indicated the presence of cocaine in Mooney’s system. While the blunt force injuries alone were not deemed life-threatening, they strongly suggested that she had been involved in a violent physical altercation prior to her death.
Her cause of death was officially classified as “homicidal violence,” and while the report suggested possible asphyxiation, no direct strangulation marks were observed.
Mooney had recently moved into the South Figueroa Street building a month before her tragic demise. Surveillance footage revealed her last sighting on September 6, and the subsequent day, an unidentified man was captured on video using her key fob to access her apartment while carrying plastic bags.
Alarming concerns escalated when Mooney failed to collect her belongings from her previous residence, prompting her sister to request a welfare check with the LAPD on September 10. Officers knocked on her door on that occasion but received no response and did not enter her unit. It wasn’t until two days later, when Mooney’s mother contacted the building manager, that LAPD was informed and entered her apartment, discovering her lifeless body.
As of now, no arrests have been made, and suspects have not been publicly identified in the case. Mooney’s tragic discovery came just two days after another model, Nichole Coats, 32, was found dead in a different downtown Los Angeles apartment building. Initially, questions were raised about potential links between the two cases due to certain similarities. However, authorities later confirmed that the cases were unrelated, with Coats’ death attributed to drug-related causes and ruled accidental.