LOS ANGELES — Investigators have released disturbing new details about the death of Maleesa Mooney, a Black model who was found dead last month inside of her apartment in Downtown Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers found 31-year-old Mooney dead on Sept. 12 after conducting a welfare check because Mooney had not been seen or heard from by family members in several days. Initially, police did not give details on the exact cause of death but said the case was a homicide.
An autopsy report released on Friday revealed Mooney was severely beaten before she died. She was also found bound and gagged with her wrists tied together behind her back, and her body stuffed inside of her refrigerator. Her arms and legs were tied “with miscellaneous electronic cords and clothing items,” according to the report released by the Los Angeles Department of the Medical Examiner.
Mooney was found dead just days after Nichole “Nikki” Coats, 32, another Black woman who also modeled, was found dead in Downtown Los Angeles. Similarities in the deaths of the two Black women sparked fears the they may have been victims of a serial killer.
LAPD investigators said they did not believe the two cases are connected.
More on the homicide investigation and case.
Corey Arvin is Editor of BLK News Now! His journalism experience includes Television, Newspapers, and Digital Media as a Writer, Reporter, Content Producer, and Digital Producer. Some of those media outlets include CBS Phoenix (KPHO), NBC4 Los Angeles, ABC7 Los Angeles, California Black Media, SCNG, and more. He can be reached at Corey@BLKNewsNow.com.