Murdered pregnant model was found bound and gagged in her refrigerator

Update 10/30/2023: New details have been released in the murder of pregnant model Maleesa Mooney, who was found dead in her Los Angeles apartment on September 12. Her death was listed as “homicidal violence,” but she may have ultimately died from asphyxiation.

Police say Mooney hadn’t been seen on her apartment building’s surveillance video since the afternoon of September 6. The following day, a man was seen on the video using her key fob to take the elevator up to her apartment. He is seen carrying plastic bags, reported The Blaze.

The Los Angeles County coroner released a report which states that Mooney’s body was found stuffed inside her refrigerator with her wrists and ankles tied and her mouth gagged. She had suffered blunt force injuries, lacerations, abrasions, and contusions and had a fractured rib. However, the coroner’s office said the blunt force trauma was not severe enough to have killed her, though “she was likely involved in a violent physical altercation prior to her death.” She may have died from asphyxiation following the violence. There was also cocaine found her her system.

“Blood was pooling under the refrigerator and her body was found inside, bound with electric cords and clothing,” said KABC-TV. “A gag made from clothing was stuffed in her mouth and other items were covering her head.”

10/16/2023: Maleesa Mooney, 31, was found murdered in her apartment on September 12th, according to Los Angeles police. Officers responded to a welfare check called by family members who were unable to get in contact with her for several days. Upon entry, the aspiring model and real estate agent was found deceased. Family members are devastated, and Mooney’s sister, Guyanese singer Jourdin Pauline, revealed Mooney was two months pregnant at the time of her death.

“She was super excited and I know she really wanted a kid, and it’s something that she has always talked about,” Pauline said, according to People.

Before long, authorities determined that Mooney – and her preborn baby – were victims of a homicide. KTLA reports her cause of death as “homicidal violence,” with “other significant conditions” listed as a factor.

At this time, a suspect has not been named.

READ: Abortion is not the answer to rising numbers of pregnant women dying by homicide

Pauline told ABC that the family first became concerned after they couldn’t get ahold of Mooney, and eventually their iPhone messages went from blue to green indicating a change of provider. “We’re like, ‘Okay, maybe she just broke her phone, it’s charged now,’ or something like that,” Pauline said at one point when it seemed like her sister’s phone had turned back on. “It started to deliver, and then that gave us hope. We’re like, ‘Okay, she’s okay.’ And then, still nothing. No one was hearing from her.”

On September 12th, her family called LA police for a wellness check at her apartment, which revealed a devastating scene.

“When they swung the door open, it was a cold breeze in her apartment,” Pauline said. “It was flooded, was covered in water, like the entryway up into the living room. We’re like, what the heck? Why is her apartment flooded? Then they just told us to go downstairs and then we waited for hours.”

Mooney’s body was discovered in her apartment. A search revealed Money’s valuables – laptop, phone, purse … as well as her dirty laundry – were missing from the apartment.

“She’s so kind, she’s so genuine, she’s so loving,” Pauline said to KABC. “To have someone do what they did to my sister, to that caliber, is sick. It’s demented.”

After dealing with a devastating loss, her family is still seeking answers. “It’s honestly so stressful,” said Pauline to KTLA. “I have thousands and thousands of scenarios in my head of what could have happened because we don’t know. … This person is still out there and the police are not telling us anything. What is the hold-up? What did the guys see? Can you share it with us? Suspects? Surveillance video that you do have? Show us something, tell us something so we can look out for it.”

The Los Angeles Police Department is seeking assistance from the public and urging anyone with information about the case to come forward.

Homicide has long been one of the biggest threats to pregnant women. A 2021 study revealed that it is the number one cause of death among pregnant women over and above any medical condition by more than twofold.

Editor’s Note: If you are a victim of domestic violence, please visit thehotline.org or call 1-800-799-SAFE.