Los Angeles model Maleesa Mooney was violently beaten and bound before her body was “wedged” into her refrigerator, according to her autopsy report.
Mooney, who was two months pregnant at the time she was killed, was found dead in her downtown L.A. apartment on Sept. 12 during a welfare check requested by her mother. When officers entered the residence, they discovered the 30-year-old model dead inside her refrigerator with “blood pooled” beneath her body, the L.A. County Department of Medical Examiner said.
“Her wrists were bound together, and her ankles were bound together, and these bindings were tied to each other behind her back with miscellaneous electronic cords and clothing items,” the autopsy report reads.
“Additional clothing items were found around her face and neck,” it continues. “An apparent gag, fashioned out of an article of clothing, was stuffed in her mouth.”
According to the toxicology report, Mooney also had traces of cocaine and alcohol in her system, though its unclear what role they 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 in the autopsy report. “However, based on the circumstances of how Ms. Mooney was found, these injuries suggest she was likely involved in violent physical altercation prior to her death.”
Her cause of death was previously listed as “homicidal violence.” There was also evidence suggesting Mooney was strangled.
No arrests have been made in the case.
Just days before Mooney’s body was found, a fellow model, Nichole Coats was also discovered dead in her downtown Los Angeles apartment. Authorities have since said their deaths were not connected, ultimately ruling Coats’ cause of death as an accidental overdose.