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Coroner: Dead Model Was Found Bound and Gagged in Refrigerator

The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner listed Maleesa Marie Mooney’s cause of death as “homicidal violence.”

An autopsy report from the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner has listed model Maleesa Mooney’s cause of death as “homicidal violence,” according to People. The 31-year-old was found dead in her Los Angeles apartment on Sept. 12 after her mother requested a welfare check. She had been beaten and bound before being stuffed into her own refrigerator, according to the autopsy. The coroner said traces of cocaine and alcohol were found in her system but that it was “uncertain” what role either played in her death. “The blunt force traumatic injuries observed at autopsy are generally not considered acutely life threatening on their own," the report said. “However, based on the circumstances of how Ms. Mooney was found, these injuries suggest she was likely involved in violence physical altercation prior to her death.” No arrests have been made in the case.