2 aspiring models found dead days apart in Los Angeles apartments

Two aspiring models have been found dead days apart in their apartments in Los Angeles, USA, prompting a police investigation. Maleesa Mooney, 31, was murdered on September 12, the police have said, while Nichole "Nikki" Coats, 32, met an undetermined fate just two days earlier.

Officers responding to a welfare check discovered Mooney’s body on September 12 around 3.45 pm PST. A spokesperson for the LAPD confirmed that Mooney's death is now being treated as a homicide. While the exact cause of her death remains unknown, the Los Angeles County Coroner's office is set to conduct a post-mortem examination.

Coats met a similarly grim fate on September 10 just a few kilometres away. Her body was discovered by her cousin. Her cause of death remains a mystery, but it may soon fall under the purview of a homicide investigation pending the LA County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner's report.

The coincidental deaths of these two young women have left their families shattered. Mooney's family held a rally in LA, demanding justice. Jourdin Pauline, her grieving sister and Guyanese pop star, expressed her shock and sorrow, emphasizing Maleesa's kindness, genuineness, and loving nature. "To have someone do what they did to my sister, to that caliber, is sick. It's demented,” she said.