Remains May Indicate How Hollywood Model Was Killed

HOLLYWOOD, CA — Missing model Adea Shabani's suffered "blunt force trauma to her head," sheriff's officials announced, confirming it was her body pulled from a shallow grave in Northern California Tuesday.

The 25-year-old aspiring model and actress disappeared from her home in Hollywood last month, and now police believe her boyfriend played a role in her death before he shot and killed himself at the end of a dramatic police chase.

Nevada County sheriff's officials said a final cause of death has been deferred pending toxicology tests. Her death has been ruled a homicide, according to the sheriff's office.

Shabani was last seen the afternoon of Feb. 23 leaving her home near the 1700 block of Wilcox Avenue, between Hollywood Boulevard and Franklin Avenue, Los Angeles police Capt. William P. Hayes said. At the time, she was with a fellow aspiring actor named Christopher Spotz, who fatally himself last week in Riverside County.

Hayes said the pair were leaving for a trip to Northern California. Shabani was reported missing two days later, and Spotz eventually released a statement through his attorney that the pair had gotten into a fight during the trip, and he claimed he dropped her off in the Santa Clarita area and never saw her again.
Hayes said investigators doubt the veracity of that claim.

Shabani and Spotz, 33, , were involved in a romantic relationship although Spotz was engaged to someone else with whom he traveled to Colorado at the beginning of March, Hayes said.

Hayes said investigators are examining evidence collected from the pickup truck and a rental car used by Spotz while in Colorado.

Related: Actor Boyfriend Of Missing Model Kills Himself During Chase

LAPD and sheriff's detectives were at the site Tuesday with anthropologists from Cal State Chico to determine if the site is a grave site.

Shabani came from Macedonia and had been in Los Angeles less than two years, according to her friends. Her family hired a private investigator to help find her and offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to her whereabouts.

Last Thursday night, a Spotz fatally shot himself during a law enforcement chase from Hesperia to the Corona area. Spotz appeared in various short films over the past three years and had a minor role in a forthcoming web series called "The Shoaks," according to IMDB.com.

Anyone with information regarding Shabani's whereabouts was urged to call the LAPD's Missing Persons Unit at (213) 996-1800. During non-business hours, calls should be directed to (877) LAPD-24-7. Anonymous tips can be submitted through Crime Stoppers by calling (800) 222-TIPS.

Information can also be submitted by calling the private investigator, Beverly Hills-based Origin Investigations Inc., at (800) 358-3830.

THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY. PLEASE REFRESH THE SCREEN FOR UPDATES.

City News Service contributed to this report.