Minn. Man Arrested on Narcotics Charges Identified as Suspect in Death of L.A. Model Maleesa Mooney

An autopsy conducted on Mooney revealed that she had been beaten, bound and stuffed into her refrigerator before police found her

Los Angeles Police have identified a suspect in connection to the death of L.A. model Maleesa Marie Mooney, who had been found stuffed inside her refrigerator in her apartment in September.

The Los Angeles Police Department said in a news release on Wednesday that detectives have identified 41-year-old Magnus Daniel Humphrey, from Hopkins, Minn., as a suspect in Mooney’s death.

Humphrey was arrested at his home on a separate, unrelated federal warrant for narcotics charges. Police did not give any other details about why they believe he was connected to the murder.

The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office said in the release that it has filed murder charges against Humphrey, who agreed to be extradited to Los Angeles to face the charges related to Mooney’s death.

Related: Maleesa Mooney's Autopsy Shows L.A. Model Was Found Dead in Refrigerator with 'Blunt Force Trauma' Injuries

The Los Angeles Police Department said in a previous news release that officers had responded to a welfare check for Mooney at her apartment in Los Angeles on Sept. 12, 2023, at approximately 3:54 p.m. local time. When officers arrived on the scene and searched Mooney’s apartment, they found the 31-year-old dead inside.

The late model’s autopsy report, completed by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner and obtained by PEOPLE, listed Mooney's cause of death as “homicidal violence.” The autopsy revealed that she had been beaten and bound before being stuffed into her refrigerator.

The autopsy report also revealed that she had blunt force trauma to parts of her body and traces of cocaine and alcohol in her system.

Related: Suspect in Deaths of L.A. Model and Architect Charged with Sexually Assaulting 4 Others

The medical examiner wrote that the “blunt force traumatic injuries” found on her body were not “considered acutely life threatening on their own.” However, due to the circumstances in which she was found, they believed that “she was likely involved in violence [sic] physical altercation prior to her death."

The medical examiner also noted that it was "uncertain" what role drugs or alcohol may have played in her death, if any.

Mooney was last seen on video surveillance at her apartment on Sept. 6, six days before her mother requested a welfare check on her. Mooney’s sister Jourdin Pauline shared with PEOPLE that the model had been two months pregnant prior to her death.

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She recalled when her family showed up to Mooney’s apartment after the welfare check, calling the scene “so chilling.”

“I've never experienced anything like that before,” she said. “Different parts of the carpet were ripped up and the refrigerator was gone. Whatever happened that night was very scary and traumatic. I know she was so scared. I just hate to think about it.” 

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