A father who made the heartbreaking discovery of his model daughter’s body in downtown Los Angeles said her face was bruised beyond recognition.
Model Nichole “Nikki” Coats is one of two models found dead in their apartments in the same area of the city just days apart, sparking fears they were both murdered.
Coats’ family became concerned after the 32-year-old suddenly stopped responding to texts, leading his father, Guy, and aunt May Stevens to check on him at the luxury apartment complex where he lived.
Guy uses a spare key fob to enter the apartment and describes what he sees as his worst nightmare.
“I went up to his bed and I touched his arm because it was extended,” Guy told The Post. “He had a blanket over him and I touched his arm, but his whole body was swollen, like it was inflamed.
Guy Coats said he found his daughter, Nikki, unconscious in her bed. Coat Man
“I saw his face and I immediately turned away because I couldn’t stand it. I immediately knew that he was dead.”
The 5-foot-8 beauty model had a large bruise on her forehead and her bottom lip “looked destroyed,” her father said. His face was so bruised and swollen that the only way they could identify him was by his tattoos.
Coats’ family said they didn’t recognize him at first when they stumbled upon his body.Facebook
“I couldn’t recognize him,” Stevens told local TV station KTLA. “I believe it’s murder, I really do. One of his legs is up in the air kicking. That’s not someone who just lay in their bed and died.”
As of Monday, the LAPD had not decided whether Nikki’s case was a homicide. Officials with the LA County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office have “delayed” the manner and cause of death pending further tests on her daughter, Guy told The Post.
Nikki Coats, 32, modeled and worked in the beauty and fashion industry for many years in New York until she returned to California in 2021. She continues to have a successful career in the beauty industry and mostly works from her apartment in downtown LA, her family. said.Gofundme
Coats was found on September 10 and alarm bells were raised two days later when Maleesa Mooney, 31, was also found dead in her apartment. Mooney, a model who also works as a real estate agent in Beverly Hills, lives in Skye’s luxury apartment in Bunker Hill about three miles from the Coats building.
His family also alerted the LAPD after Mooney did not respond to their calls or texts.
The LAPD found Mooney’s body in Skye’s apartment and the case was ruled a murder. While they are not releasing details, detectives have reached out to the public for help in identifying possible suspects responsible for Mooney’s death.
Guy Coats said his daughter had “no enemies” and was loved by many friends and family.Guy Coats
LAPD officials told The Post they could not confirm or deny if the two cases are related.
A few days before his death, Coats had been visited by his cousins and friends, and all seemed fine, family members said.
Guy said his daughter had planned to go to Cancun, Mexico, with friends the week she was found dead. She also recently received a raise from the beauty brand company she works for, so she’s in “very good spirits.”
Maleesa Mooney was found dead in her Bunker Hill apartment.Jourdin Pauline/Instagram
Mooney’s death is being investigated as a homicide.Jourdin Pauline/Instagram
“I had some initial concerns about him moving there because I used to go Downtown in the 1970s and it’s really changed since then, but the people around there haven’t,” Guy said. “But he’ll always tell me how smart he gets in and out and how careful he is.”
Guy said he didn’t notice anything unusual when he entered Coats’ apartment. There were no signs of forced entry and his laptop, mobile phone and wallet were found inside. Nikki works mainly from home, she said.
When he finds his daughter’s lifeless body on the bed, Guy notices the odd placement and notices a red liquid on the bed.
Friends set up a GoFundMe to help the Coats family with Nikki’s funeral costs.Facebook
“He was just wearing his underwear and one of his hands was out,” Guy said. “I couldn’t see for too long and had to turn away, but I saw his fingers starting to turn black at the ends.”
Coats’ family continues to struggle to understand what might have happened in his last few hours, and friends have set up a GoFundMe to help the family.
“Nikki’s energetic personality was one that touched and influenced everyone she met,” wrote John Clark, who set up the fundraiser. “She was known as an amazing daughter, friend and soul. His untimely passing left us shocked.”
Friends have set up a fundraiser to help the Coats family.Facebook
Guy said her daughter, who was born in Long Beach, Calif., had a full life and started her modeling career when she was 14. At the age of 24, Coats moved to New York to pursue modeling and work in the fashion and beauty industry.
He moved back to LA in 2021 to be with his family during the COVID-19 pandemic. After a year of living with his family, he moved into a luxury apartment in downtown LA in December 2022.
“He’s looking forward to a lot,” Guy said. “My daughter is a very sweet young lady and she is very much loved. He has many friends who love him very much. We just want to know what happened to him.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
