Model Nichole Coats Found Dead at 32
Her family is searching for answers.
Those closest to Nichole Coats are mourning the loss of their loved one. The 32-year-old model, who had been missing from her apartment for several days, was discovered dead on Sept. 10 by her father and aunt, who became concerned that she had not been in touch for several days, according to KTLA. It was also confirmed to ABC7 by the Los Angeles Police Department that officers, who were on their way to conduct a welfare check on Nichole, discovered the body after they arrived.
Following Nichole's passing, those closest to her were able to contemplate the tragic circumstances that had befallen her. "This is senseless and I want some answers because my daughter is gone," her mom, Sharon Coats, told KTLA. "And it's not fair. I want everybody to find out who did this to her. She shouldn't be gone." May Stevens, her aunt, spoke about the traumatizing experience of discovering Nichole and expressed how she couldn't recognize her niece.
The circumstances have left the family distraught. "I just felt like everything was moving in slow motion," her cousin Sheniya Mason told KABC. "And I still am in shock, in denial that she's not here." "It just didn't look right to us," Sheniya told the news media outlet. "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."
In the wake of Nichole's death, her family is determined to resolve their lingering questions. "This is our reality now, living without her," her cousin continued. "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."
The model's death is one of two recent cases within the past few weeks, with the other case being Maleesa Mooney, a 31-year-old real estate agent and model found dead in her apartment less than three miles away on Sept. 12. In the case of Maleesa, police are investigating her death as a murder, while Nichole's death has been categorized by the authorities as "suspicious," according to KTLA. When asked if they might be related, an LAPD spokesperson told ABC News that it is too early to determine whether the two cases are linked.