The family of a Los Angeles model who was found dead in her apartment now knows the cause of her death.
The family initially suspected foul play in the death of Nichole Coats and now has learned that her death reportedly resulted from a deadly cocktail of drugs and alcohol.
Coates’ lifeless body was found in her luxury apartment on Sept. 10, breaking the hearts of those she loved.
The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner said the 32-year-old died as a result of “cocaine and ethanol toxicity” on Tuesday, Oct. 24. Ethanol toxicity has been directly connected to her alcohol consumption. With this revelation, her death was officially ruled an “accident.”
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Police had performed a welfare check at approximately 10 a.m. on the day she was discovered. Family members say they had not heard from her. When they arrived, they received no response but returned about two hours later after receiving a call reporting the discovery of a body at the residence.
The woman’s father, Guy Coats, and an aunt, May Stevens, came to identify her body and saw her in the bed with her arm “extended out” from a cover. Guy Coats identified her by her tattoos.
“She had a cover over her, and I touched her arm, but her whole body was swollen like it was inflamed,” the dad said in an interview with KTLA.
“I took a look at her face, and I immediately turned away because I just couldn’t take it,” he continued. “I knew immediately that she had already passed away. I couldn’t look too long and had to turn away, but I saw her fingers were starting to blacken on the tips.”
Guy Coats said he suspected someone murdered his daughter after police discovered another model dead from “homicidal violence” — three miles away from her apartment. His belief was fueled by how he said her body looked, saying he observed it being “busted,” “swollen,” and “unrecognizable.”
“I believe it was murder, I really do. That’s not somebody who just laid in their bed and died,” he said.
May Stevens, the woman’s aunt, also told KTLA that Nichole was discovered with one of her legs up.
Despite the father’s assertion and the family’s chagrin, the Los Angeles Police Department stated that there was no connection between the deaths of the two women.
Sharon Coats, Nichole’s mother, was one of the first voices to say the police were too quick to move on.
“It’s like they don’t care. I’m not going to let this be a cold case. I will keep voicing my opinion regarding what happened,” the mother said at the time.
The family has not released an official statement on the new findings.
