Harrowing Details Surface About Los Angeles Model Who Was Killed In Her Apartment

The sister of a Black model who was killed in Los Angeles last month has revealed harrowing details about the mysterious death.

Police found the victim, 31-year-old Maleesa Mooney, dead in her Los Angeles apartment on Sept. 12, two days after the body of another Black model was found less than three miles away.

Jourdin Pauline shared previously unknown information about her sister’s death with NewsNation  — including the fact that Mooney was pregnant.

“I just found out through the family [of the guy] she was talking to, they said that they were expecting,” Pauline said, later adding, “She just wanted to be married and have kids and not bother anybody, you know, definitely wanted a family.” 

Police found Mooney dead when her family asked them to do a wellness check after not hearing from her for multiple days, HuffPost previously reported . Pauline told AB7 last month that her sister’s belongings were found missing at that time, including an iPhone and MacBook.

On Tuesday, Pauline told NewsNation that mortuary workers had revealed devastating details about Mooney’s death to her family.

“The people at the mortuary don’t even want us to see her because they said it’s traumatic. The guy at the mortuary started crying because of how traumatic it is. It’s like, why would someone do this to her?” she asked, adding that both of Mooney’s ankles had been broken and that she “was definitely in a struggle.”

The Los Angeles Police Department said last month that it was looking for help from anyone with information about Mooney’s death.

“The investigation revealed that Maleesa Mooney had been murdered inside of her apartment,” the LAPD said in a statement at the time. “The Los Angeles Police Department is requesting the public’s help in identifying any and all persons responsible for Maleesa Mooney’s death.”

Another model, Nichole “Nikki” Coats, 32, was found dead on Sept. 10, two days before Mooney’s body was found. Relatives of the two women have speculated that their deaths are connected. Social media users have also questioned whether their deaths mean  that a serial killer is targeting Black women.

Authorities say they haven’t found evidence linking Coats’ and Mooney’s deaths. While they consider Coats’ death “an undetermined death at this point,” they say that Mooney’s is being investigated as a homicide.