Content warning: This story discusses homicidal violence.
More details are surfacing about the tragic killing of Maleesa Mooney.
The model, 31, was found dead in her downtown Los Angeles apartment on Sept. 12, prompting a homicide investigation. Her cause of death was later confirmed as “homicidal violence,” according to the L.A. County Department of Medical Examiner, which noted that “other significant conditions” also contributed to her death.
Now, officials have determined that Mooney—who was two months pregnant at the time, according to her sister—was beaten and “wedged” inside her refrigerator, per an autopsy report published by local outlet KTLA Oct. 27.
The report stated that her wrists and ankles were bound together and then tied behind her back using “electronic cords and clothing items.” Mooney was also found gagged with a piece of clothing in her mouth, with visible injuries to her head, torso and arms.
“The blunt force traumatic injuries observed at autopsy are generally not considered life-threatening on their own,” the medical examiner said in the report. “However, based on the circumstances of how Ms. Mooney was found, these injuries suggest she was likely involved in [a] violent physical altercation prior to her death.”
