Los Angeles model found dead in apartment; second case in a week
(KTLA) — Loved ones are distraught after a young model was found dead inside her downtown Los Angeles apartment, marking the second time a similar incident has occurred within a week.
Family members who discovered the body of Nichole Coats, 32, known as Nikki, inside her apartment are devastated and frustrated at the lack of answers and information from investigators.
“This is senseless and I want some answers because my daughter is gone,” Sharon Coats, Nikki's mother, told Nexstar's KTLA. “And it’s not fair. I want everybody to find out who did this to her. She shouldn’t be gone.”
The last time anyone heard from Nikki, she told friends she was going out on a date on Friday, Sept. 8. That would be her last conversation with loved ones.
When she didn’t answer any calls or texts that weekend, her father and aunt decided to visit her apartment complex, Eighth & Grand, on Sept. 10.
That’s when they made the gut-wrenching discovery. Sharon said the scene was gruesome and her daughter’s bed was found bloodied.
“I couldn’t recognize her,” Stevens recalled of the discovery. “I believe it was murder, I really do. One of her legs was up in the air in a kicking position. That’s not somebody who just laid in their bed and died.”
“We need to know what happened,” said May Stevens, Nikki’s aunt.
Sharon said her daughter didn't have any enemies and was loved by friends and the community. She wants answers and for the suspect to be caught before they potentially strike again.
“I don’t know who she went out with or what transpired there,” Sharon said. “I have no idea but I’m going to find out. So if you’re out there, you’re going to get caught. You're messing with the wrong person.”
Nikki’s death marks the second case of a model found dead in their apartment in downtown L.A. The two incidents took place less than three miles away from each other.
On Sept. 12, Maleesa Mooney, a 31-year-old model and real estate agent, was found dead in her apartment on the 200 block of South Figueroa Street.
Family members were worried because she wasn't answering calls or texts. Police officers dispatched for a welfare check discovered Mooney’s body inside her apartment.
So far, Mooney’s case is being considered a murder, while Nikki’s has been deemed a “suspicious” death.
The L.A. County Coroner’s Office said Nikki’s case remains open while her cause of death remains under investigation.
Family and friends of both women remained devastated and are seeking justice for their deaths. They're also concerned a serial killer may be looking for their next target.
A GoFundMe page was created to help Nikki’s family with funeral expenses.
The cases remain under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call LAPD at 1-877-527-3247.