Mysterious Deaths of Two Models in Downtown Los Angeles Raise Questions
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (KABC) — The family of a 32-year-old model, Nichole Coats, who was found dead in her Los Angeles apartment is desperate for answers as police investigate the death of another model who was also found in the same area.
Coats was discovered dead last weekend, leaving her family in shock and searching for answers. “I was so distraught… I just felt like everything was moving in slow motion. And I still am in shock… in denial that she’s not here,” said her cousin, Sheniya Mason.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officers responded to the Eighth & Grand Apartments on September 10 to conduct a welfare check. Coats’ father also checked on her and sadly found her lifeless body.
Living alone in her downtown L.A. apartment, Coats’ family believes that her death feels suspicious based on how she was found. “It just didn’t look right to us… Didn’t look right how she was positioned in the bed. She was even unrecognizable… as if she’d been beat. They had to (identify) her by her tattoos,” Mason said.
Adding to the family’s concerns, Mason recently came across a similar story of a woman named Malessa Mooney, who was also found dead in her apartment in the Bunker Hill area. Mooney’s death is currently being investigated as a homicide.
“We just want to know what happened… It just doesn’t seem right… Is there a correlation between these two females? Is there a correlation? They were both almost in the same area… we need to make sure that this isn’t something else because it just didn’t seem right,” voiced Mason, suspecting foul play.
However, the LAPD has clarified that they are treating the case as a death investigation and have not found anything nefarious thus far.
As the family awaits more answers, Mason fondly remembers her cousin as a vibrant and loving person. “This is our reality now, living without her… I know it’s not going to hit for a while, until the holidays come up… She’s not gonna walk in the door… It still has not hit me. It has not, but I just know I love her and I will forever love her. I just want her spirit and her legacy to live on.”
As the investigation into these tragic deaths continues, the community waits anxiously for answers and hopes that justice will be served for Nichole Coats and Malessa Mooney.