Rebecca Zahau , found hanging naked from balcony in the home of millionaire Max Shacknai after Shacknai's son fell to his death days before/ Rebecca's death ruled suicide; Dr Cyril Wecht disagrees

Was a PARTY held at millionaire's mansion the night after his six-year-old son was fatally injured in fall... and just hours before girlfriend was found hanging naked?

Girlfriend found hanging naked from balcony with orange electrical cord tied around feet and hands
Little boy had fallen down staircase days before while in her care
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
She has past conviction for stealing $1,000 worth of jewellery from department store
She left job last year to spend more time with boyfriend and his children
Tycoon described as ambitious and driven head of $700million-a-year cosmetic drugs firm
Son's memorial service to be held today as father pays tribute to his 'kind and vibrant spirit'

By David Gardner and Fiona Roberts
Last updated at 3:26 PM on 19th July 2011

Police are investigating reports that a noisy party was held at a mansion the night after a six-year-old boy fell down the stairs and was fatally injured - and just hours before his father's girlfriend was found dead hanging naked from a balcony.

Max Shacknai, the son of multimillionaire pharmaceutical tycoon Jonah Shacknai, died at a San Diego hospital yesterday as a result of the injuries he suffered in the fall a week ago.

Two days after the accident his father's girlfriend, Rebecca Nalepa - who was looking after him at the time - was found hanging naked from a second-storey balcony, her hands and feet bound with orange electrical cord.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Reports of a party, which would have taken place as Mr Shacknai and his ex-wife held a vigil at their son's bedside, deepen the mystery surrounding the two deaths at the historic Spreckels Mansion in the upscale Coronado suburb of San Diego.
Tragedy: Six-year-old Max Shacknai died one week after he fell down the stairs of his millionaire father's mansion in an upscale suburb of San Diego. His father's lover was found dead on Wednesday

Last Monday, Max fell down the stairs at the property in what police called a tragic accident. He was not breathing and did not have a pulse when paramedics found him.

In a joint statement issued last night, his parents announced that the little boy died at Rady's Children's Hospital in San Diego yesterday, and a memorial service will be held today.

The death of 32-year-old Miss Nalepa, described by police as 'very bizarre', came just two days after the fall.

More...

Relatives stop murdered Hasidic boy's mother from learning full details of his gruesome death

Mr Shacknai's brother, Adam, who was staying in the mansion's guesthouse, cut Miss Nalepa down to try and save her then called 911. Mr Shacknai was not at home, police said.

Detectives are still waiting for forensic test results to help determine whether Miss Nalepa committed a ritualised suicide or whether she could have been murdered.

Now police have told Mail Online that they are taking another bizarre twist seriously.
Together: Jonah Shacknai with his 32-year-old girlfriend Rebecca Nalepa, who was found dead hanging nude from a balcony at his mansion

Rebecca Nalepa
Victim: Rebecca Nalepa, 32, was found wrapped in cord after apparently hanging at the millionaire's mansion

'We received information that there may have been a party at the house on Tuesday,' said Homicide Sergeant Roy Frank. 'This is only a report. The exact nature of the get together at the house is something we will be looking at.'
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
JONAH SHACKNAI'S TRIBUTE TO HIS 'BELOVED' SON MAXIE'

'With great sadness, Dina and I convey the tragic passing of our beloved son, Max (affectionately known as Maxie).

'Despite heroic efforts on the part of paramedics and hospital staff, he was unable to recover from the injuries suffered early last week.

'His loving, kind and vibrant spirit will be forever in our hearts and those whom he touched every day.'

He added: 'I think that anything that was going on in Rebecca's life prior to her death we would be looking into. For instance, if she was feeling suicidal or depressed. We would be looking into the victimology.'

Despite the fact that the victim was found bound at her hands and feet, Sergeant Frank said police have not ruled out suicide.

One theory being examined is that Ms Nalepa was overwhelmed with grief after the accident involving her lover's son.

But investigators have not established a formal connection between the two tragedies. Sergeant Frank said officers were carrying out interviews with witnesses and waiting for forensic tests.

Max's death adds to the tragedy surrounding Mr Shacknai, a multimillionaire known as a highly driven and ambitious player in the pharmaceuticals industry, whose firm has a $700million annual turnover producing cosmetic drugs similar to Botox.

It also emerged that Miss Nalepa, who has a past conviction for shoplifting, had given up her job as an ophthalmic technician in December to devote her time to Mr Shacknai, Max and his other two children.

Sprawling: The mansion where Nalepa's body was found, which is owned by pharmaceutical millionaire Jonah Shacknai

Miss Nalepa was discovered naked, hanging from a second-storey balcony with her feet and hands bound with orange electrical cord, police have revealed.

She met what officers described as a 'very violent and very suspicious end' at the mansion.

While an autopsy has been completed, police are not releasing the details and have not yet ruled whether her grisly death was murder or suicide.
Multi-Millionaire: Jonah Shacknai is the founder, chairman and CEO of the Medicis Pharmaceutical Corporation

Speculation mounted it could be connected to the accident just days before, when Mr Shacknai's son fell down the property's grand staircase.

Miss Nalepa, a Burmese woman who had been in a relationship with Mr Shacknai for two years, was reportedly looking after the little boy at the time.

The mystery surrounding her death, which police have described as 'bizarre', deepened as it emerged a loud party had been held at the 27-room house on Tuesday night, the day before Miss Nalepa died - and the day after the little boy's accident.

San Diego County Sheriff's Office said Miss Nalepa's naked body was discovered by Mr Shacknai's brother, Adam, early on Wednesday morning.
THE LANDMARK $17M MANSION

Built in 1908, the luxurious 27-room Spreckels Mansion includes six bedrooms and an unfinished wine-storage room used during Prohibition.

One of the biggest residences in Coronado, it was built in 1908 as a beach home for John D. Spreckels, who owned the nearby Hotel del Coronado.

Adam, who had been staying at a guesthouse on the property, told detectives he found her hanging by her neck from a second floor balcony, with her hands and feet bound.

He cut her down from the balcony to try to save her, before calling 911.

Firefighters tried to revive Miss Nalepa, who they described as being 'in distress', but she was later pronounced dead at the scene.

When news cameras circled overhead, her naked body was lying sprawled in a grassy courtyard, with what appeared to be orange electrical wire trailing to one side.

Tim Curran, with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, described the circumstances as 'very suspicious', telling NBC San Diego that it appeared the victim had died a 'violent' death.

He refused to rule out suicide, saying: 'That is a possibility. [The] circumstances are bizarre.'

'It appears to be some type of a violent death, and I'm not going to compromise the integrity of the investigation by giving anything more than that at this time,' he added.

Mr Curran said Adam Shacknai is not currently being considered a suspect, although he was the only other person believed to have been in the 27-room mansion when Miss Nalepa died.

Both brothers and Mr Shacknai's ex-wife Dina, who is six-year-old Max's mother, are being questioned by police as witnesses, Curran said.
Rebecca Nalepa
Adam Shacknai

Discovery: Rebecca, left was found hanging from a balcony naked by her boyfriend's brother Adam, right
Violent end: Sheriff's deputies described Rebecca Nalepa's death as

Crime scene: The cordoned off $17m Spreckels Mansion, on San Diego's exclusive Ocean Boulevard

Mr Shacknai, who has been married twice before, is described as a highly-driven chief executive who makes a point of calling 1,500 dermatology customers each year on their birthdays.

Gary Nachman, a Wall Street analyst, told the San Diego Tribune: 'Jonah is very much the blood that runs through Medicis. They are a very meaningful player in the dermatology market.'

Although in Arizona, where his business is based, Mr Shacknai is known as a 'community leader' for his charity work, in Coronado he has has earned a reputation for being arrogant.

When he bought the historic Spreckels mansion in 2007, preservation officials said he agreed not to make any major changes to it. Yet he soon began petitioning to make alterations, including adding a hydraulic roof over part of the property, they claim.
THE TWICE-MARRIED TYCOON
Millionaire death

Jonah Shacknai founded pharmaceutical giant Medicis and has been chairman and chief executive since 1988.

The company makes dermatological and aesthetic pharmaceutical products and took $700million in revenue last year.

Shacknai has two other children from a previous marriage to Kimberly James, a pharmaceuticals sales representative for rival firm Johnson & Johnson.

The couple married in April 1993 in Bel Air, California, before filing for divorce in 1999.

She later told a psychologist that on their honeymoon he asked her if she thought the marriage was a mistake.

Family Court records show the couple reached a joint-custody agreement in 2001 for two children: a 14-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy.

Shacknai later married Dina Romano, the boy's mother, and the couple divorced in 2008.

Jeff Alison, a neighbour who went to City Hall meetings on the proposed changes, said: 'I thought he was as arrogant as hell. It was his way or the highway.'

In May, Miss Nalepa, who had lived with Mr Shacknai for about two years, had successfully petitioned to revert to her maiden name, Rebecca Zahau.

Her ex-husband, Neil, told 10News: 'This is all overwhelming. I'm just trying to wrap my head around it.

A friend told NBC San Diego Miss Nalepa was a 'survivor' who would never have allowed herself to have been seen naked and would not have considered suicide.

Miss Nalepa's brother-in-law Doug Loehner also issued a statement, defending her boyfriend. He said: 'Jonah is a stand-up guy. He was very devoted to Rebecca. She treated his kids as her own.'

It emerged Miss Nalepa has a past conviction for shoplifting.

In 2009, she went into a Macy's store and put more than $1,000-worth of jewellery into different shopping bags. Security officers grabbed her as she was walking out and called police.

Miss Nalepa pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour, agreed to pay a $500 fine and attend a shoplifting 'diversion' course.

But her former boss at Horizon Eye Specialists & Lasik Center in Phoenix has paid tribute to Miss Nalepa, describing her as a dedicated professional who was 'full of life', the San Diego Tribune reports.

Miss Nalepa began working there as an ophthalmic technician in April 2008, but left in December last year to devote more time to Mr Shacknai and his three children.

Michael Trier said; 'We are saddened and troubled by the circumstances of her death. It is our hope that justice can be served for Rebecca.

'She was very good with our patients. She was very committed for several years to her career. She was a personality very much full of life.'

The 27-room Spreckels mansion was built in 1908 in the wealthy seaside suburb of about 24,000 people on San Diego Bay. It is named for its original owner John D. Spreckels, who also owned the majestic Hotel del Coronado and two local newspapers, the San Diego Union and San Diego Tribune.

Coronado had just one homicide last year, and the police department asked the sheriff's department to help with the investigation.

Mr Shacknai founded Medicis, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, and has been chairman and CEO since 1988.

The company's products include acne treatments Solodyn and Ziana and facial wrinkle treatment Restylane.

Read more: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

By CHRISTINA CARON (@cdcaron) and SCOTT SHULMAN
CORONADO, Calif. July 21, 2011

The investigation into two deaths at the historic Spreckels Mansion has put a spotlight on the turbulent marriage of the mansion's owner Jonah Shacknai and the accusations of violence that surrounded the marriage.

Shacknai, the millionaire owner of a pharmaceutical company, recently lost his 6-year-old son Max who died Sunday of injuries suffered when he fell down the stairs at the mansion last week. His girlfriend Rebecca Zahau was found at the mansion last Wednesday with her hands bound behind her back, her ankles tied together, and a rope around her neck.

An exclusive photo obtained by "Good Morning America" of Jonah Shacknai and Rebecca Zahau. Friends and family say they were together nearly three years and had a happy relationship.

Autopsies are being conducted on both victims and the San Diego sheriff's office said it's unclear if the two deaths are related. Police said that 15 detectives have been assigned to the investigation.

Despite the circumstances of Zahau's death police say they still haven't ruled out suicide.

Shacknai was not home during either incident, police say, but the tragedies have brought a focus on his life.

Shacknai, 54, has been married twice. He divorced Kimberly Shacknai in 1993. His subsequent marriage to Max's mother Dina Shacknai also ended in divorce with accusations on both sides of verbal and physical assault.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
PHOTO: Dina Shacknai's injuries after she said Jonah Shacknai's German shepherd attacked her during a domestic dispute.
Paradise Valley Police Department
A 2008 report from Paradise Valley police in... View Full Size
Mansion Mystery Deepens: Boy Dies After Fall Watch Video
Mansion Mystery: What Happened at Coronado? Watch Video
Mansion Mystery: 6-Year-old Boy Dies After Fall Watch Video

In Arizona police reports obtained this week by ABC News Shacknai's ex-wife Dina Shacknai said she was "scared of what he is capable of doing to me physically … and the lengths he would go to try to 'destroy' me."

Shacknai denied the allegations, telling police Dina had filed "false and misleading reports."

September 2008 photos from Paradise Valley police show scratches on Dina Shacknai's back.

A 2008 report from Paradise Valley police in Arizona included pictures of injuries Dina Shacknai said she got from Jonah Shacknai's dog.

She told police she was attacked by her husband's German shepherd, just as she had been several times in the past. She gave police photos from 2006 showing cuts to her arms and knees, from incidents where Dina claimed the dog bit her because the dog is "very sensitive to changes in voice tone and body language and any tense exchange with Jonah may result in an attack response."

She told police, however, that Jonah didn't command the dog to attack her.

Shacknai said his wife came at him and tried to choke him, according to the documents.

In January 2009, Dina Shacknai accused her husband of elbowing her in the breast. Shacknai told police he was trying to "nudge" her out of his car because she had reached for the ignition and tried to grab the steering wheel as he attempted to drive away. He also claimed he had been assaulted "several times" by his wife.

Jonah and Dina Shacknai sent out a statement earlier this week saying the records release "pains us greatly" especially now after losing their son.

"While our marriage did not work out as either of us had hoped, it did produce a wonderful son, Max, whom both of us loved very much," the statement read. "His loss is unimaginable. These police reports are not reflective of the totality or the precise details of the events during a difficult time in our marriage that we worked through together."

Shacknai is not considered a person of interest in the Zahau investigation. Today police confirmed Shacknai has left San Diego.

People who saw Shacknai and Zahau together said the couple had been dating for three years and seemed happy together. Zahau, 32, also seemed happy to be with Max and had a close relationship with the boy.

"At first I thought she might be his mother," Zahau's former personal trainer, Scott Markey, told ABC News. "They seemed like they were very happy. She was always smiling with him. They had a very good relationship."

An exclusive photo obtained by "Good Morning America" of Jonah Shacknai and Rebecca Zahau.

Markey, who often saw the two together at Hollywood Fitness in Coronado, said she was "the sweetest girl you could possibly imagine."
PHOTO: Jonah Shacknai and Rebecca Zahau had a happy relationship of nearly three years according to Zahau's sister. Zahau was found dead at Shacknai's home in Coronado, Calif., on July 13. Police have not yet ruled out suicide.
ABC News
Jonah Shacknai and Rebecca Zahau had a happy... View Full Size
Mansion Mystery Deepens: Boy Dies After Fall Watch Video
Mansion Mystery: What Happened at Coronado? Watch Video
Mansion Mystery: 6-Year-old Boy Dies After Fall Watch Video

"Nothing but good things to say about her. It's horrible for this to happen to anybody, but for her it was a shock to me because she was the nicest girl you could meet," Markey said.

While police investigate, Zahau's sister Mary Zahau-Loehner does not believe that she committed suicide.

The sisters spoke the night before Zahau died, she said, and Zahau talked about her plans for the following day.

"She was going to call mom and dad the next morning and text me throughout the day with updates on Max," said Zahau-Loehner. "She was very hopeful. She had to be strong and there for Jonah."

Zahau and Shacknai seemed happy together, her sister said.

Police said it "could take weeks" for forensics and lab results on Zahau's death, just one element of the lengthy investigation to determine whether her death was a suicide.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Is there any other confirmation on a party being thrown the night the parents were at the hospital? Also why did the brother cut down the body - Im sure she looked dead and he isnt supposed to touch the body.
Shades of Jon Benet Ramsey!

No, no confirmation of a party to my knowledge. I was reading some of the comments on the first post and it says there was no party.

Not sure about the step brother, but I think he was on the balcony and the electrical cord extended from the balcony to her dead body on the ground.

I don't know how she could have committed suicide unless someone helped her, then it's not suicide. She was hung off the balcony with her hands bound behind her and her feet bound? Come on, what are the odds?
This is a very strange story.

This is like a "who done it". Something you would see in a game of "Clue". I have seen that sprawling mansion in Coronado. It's beautiful and very well known.

Did the Butler do it?????

Why did the boy die? And then, why did the girlfriend fall to a horrific death tied with orange electrical cord?

I've very familiar w/that orange electrical cord as many of us are. This one would have Had to have been extremely LONG and it would not have been easy to tie her like that.

There is a lot more to come in this story. I cannot help but suspect the father. I hope I am wrong, but I agree. She would have needed help to fall w/her hands and feet tied to her back. Almost like being "hog tied".

Something was going on and it's not pretty!

I suspect the child's Father, it makes sense. His son dies while his gf is watching him? A couple of days later the gf commits suicide but she's bound hands and feet? Really strange. If the Father didn't do it I wonder who he had do it. I don't know if we'll ever find out, there's way too much money behind this one.

How would she hang herself with her hands and feet bound?

Not possible!

Well Casey Jordan has said it is possible to bound your feet together then your hands and then slip your feet through your hands after your neck has been tied with the rope. They hobble to the edge and throw yourself over.

Casey Jordan is that blond haired attorney appearing nightly on JVM and is kind of precise and annoying at the same time. She says it is possible but improbable.

Before you say anything I too have questions on that scenerio.

They also said most women don't commit suicide..naked. They just don't.

All that money and all that tragedy. I guess as the saying goes "Money doesn't buy happiness".

Jeanne, I happened to see Casey Jordon say just what you said she did. I don't know how someone can do that unless they are some type of contortionist. But I guess it's not completely impossible.... but improbable imo.

I've been following this case just to keep my mind from obsessing over Casey Anthony going free after murdering Caylee. (MO) I'm not buying the suicide theory, it sounds way too complicated to have to tie your hands and feet first. I feel she had help. I'm glad they are checking the hospital video to make sure dad and mom were both at Max's bedside all night when Rebecca died.

The brother, Adam, seems suspicious to me also. I've read 2 different versions saying he cut her down because he thought she could still be saved, and that paramedics tried to save her when they got there, and also reports saying she was already dead and in rigor. Hard to know what to believe. Hopefully the autopsy results will give them more clues.

Sam, it's great to see you here on other cases than HD's. I know that is why you joined but who could NOT obsess over the Anthony circus?

This case is very, very strange. I agree. She did not tie her hands and feet and then jump to her death. I also suspect not only dear ole dad but the brother as well.

What I think may have happened is she was watching the boy and he died on her watch. MOO.

I agree with both of you, no way did she commit suicide, maybe assisted suicide that SHE did not want.
She was watching that dear little boy when he died on her watch and I'm thinking that sent Dad into a tailspin and she was dead within two days, either by his hand or his brothers. I just wonder if money is going to shut this case up.

Wrapitup wrote:Sam, it's great to see you here on other cases than HD's. I know that is why you joined but who could NOT obsess over the Anthony circus?

This case is very, very strange. I agree. She did not tie her hands and feet and then jump to her death. I also suspect not only dear ole dad but the brother as well.

What I think may have happened is she was watching the boy and he died on her watch. MOO.

Wrap: I keep coming back here on other cases, because I like how you let everyone speak freely on cases and post links without being bopped over the head by a mod. LOL. Had some bad experiences on other crime boards. I did come here originally for Hailey Dunn, but it seems like such a doomed case now. Between that one and Casey going free, I had to get involved in reading about this case just for my own sanity. Hopefully this won't be another cover up because of the wealth involved.

I found a good pic of the balcony Rebecca is supposed to have hung herself from. Looks fairly flimsy to me. If she could stand on that, tie her hands and feet, get a noose around her neck, and then jump, she must have been an acrobat.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Also found a video about how LE is going to recreate Rebecca's death..
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Woman's hanging investigated in Coronado, Calif.

LOS ANGELES — Rebecca Zahau, the Burmese woman whose body was found hanging nude at a historic oceanfront mansion, has been laid to rest by her family and millionaire boyfriend as the mystery over her death remains unresolved.

Investigators with the San Diego Sheriff's Department, who are probing the suspicious death in Coronado this month, await toxicology results from Zahau's autopsy. Sgt. Roy Frank of the department's homicide unit said, "We're still weeks out" from concluding whether Zahau committed suicide or was murdered.
He said they are also looking into any connection to the death of her boyfriend's 6-year-old son after an accident in the same home two days earlier.
"I've really got an open mind," Frank said of Zahau's death. "It's either going to be suicide or homicide."
Zahau's sister, Mary Zahau-Loehner, 33, said Monday she doesn't believe her sister killed herself.
"I still believe my sister didn't take her life," Zahau-Loehner said in an interview.
She issued a written statement on behalf of the Zahau family saying, "Rebecca valued her life and lived her life to its fullest. Rebecca loved God, her family and life."
Zahau-Loenher said she and other members of her family are grief-stricken and don't know what to think about how Zahau died.
Zahau, 32, who came to the USA a little over a decade ago, was buried Saturday by her family in Saint Joseph, Mo., where her parents and other family members live.
Jonah Shacknai, 54, founder and CEO of Medicis Pharmaceutical, the Scottsdale, Ariz., maker of the wrinkle-filling, injectible gel Restylane and other cosmetic drugs, attended the graveside service for his late girlfriend and was welcomed by her family, Zahau-Loehner said.
Zahau and Shacknai lived in Arizona and spent part of the year in the 12-bedroom Coronado mansion, originally built in 1908. He paid $12.75 million for the home four years ago.
Frank said police responding to a call early July 13 found Zahau's body on the ground in a courtyard of the mansion. He said Shacknai's brother Adam, 47, reported he found her hanging by a noose from a balcony and cut her down in an attempt to revive her. Her feet were bound and her hands were bound behind her back, Frank said.
The death came two days after Shacknai's 6-year-old son, Max, suffered a fall on the main staircase of the mansion while he was in the home with Zahau. Max was declared dead July 17 and his organs donated to three other children.
Frank said investigators are probing "victimology," or the actions and state of mind of Zahau before her death, and whether her death may have been related to the child's fall.
"Any time there's a death such as this we're always going to look at victimology," Frank said. "What was going on in her life? … Max's incident is something we would look into as well.
"To say it's associated … that's still up to the investigation," Frank said.
Jonah Shacknai has not publicly commented beyond two brief written statements, issued jointly with his ex-wife, Dina Shacknai. One disclosed the death of their son; a second lamented "the unfortunate attention" news media have given to police records in Arizona about the couple's quarrels and allegations of physical violence toward each other. No arrests were made when police responded to two domestic disturbances in 2008 and 2009.
Shacknai and his wife were divorced in January. She maintains a summer home in Coronado near the Spreckels Mansion where the twin tragedies took place.
The deaths, under mysterious circumstances in the wealthy beach resort where violent crime is a rarity, have attracted worldwide attention and speculation.
Frank said neither Shacknai nor his ex-wife was in the home when their son fell, but Zahau and another child were present.
Shacknai was not in the home when Zahau's body was discovered. At the time, his son was on life support at Rady Children's Hospital San Diego.
Frank said Shacknai and other family members have cooperated with investigators.
Adam Shacknai of Memphis did not answer phone calls to his home. Jonah Shacknai has retained a Los Angeles public relations and crisis management firm to handle media inquiries and is not making further statements, pending the investigation.
Zahau-Loehner, in one of several phone interviews in recent days, complained that she and other family members have not been given information by authorities about their sister's death. "We are out of the loop," she said.
Frank said his department has spoken with Zahau's family and has had 15 investigators working the case, along with additional forensic technicians and investigators from the California Department of Justice. He said the probe "is progressing well."
"It's real important to let that evidence come out first before we pass any judgment," Frank said.
Zahau's family has set up a charity fund in her memory for the benefit of orphans in her native country, at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

July 24th, 2011
Statement from the Family of Rebecca Zahau

Rebecca Zahau, our granddaughter, daughter, sister, aunt, and cousin, was laid to rest July 23rd 2011.
People including media want to know who Rebecca Zahau was. This has been difficult to answer within the immediacy of her death. It would be hard to describe the emotions that our family has dealt with, the last eleven days.

There are no words in any dictionary or language to describe the full beauty, love, compassion, selflessness, generosity, and kindness of Rebecca. Her Zahau name was "HNIANGSINMAWII" meaning "SPRINGTIME BEAUTY" and yet she was the beauty of every season. If you had met Rebecca, you could not help but love her.

Rebecca often anticipated the needs of family, friends, and co-workers. She offered her help and would be by their side before someone even thought of asking. She provided support through actions she could take. One friend wanted to run a triathlon. Rebecca signed up for the triathlon even though she did not know how to swim. She then took swim lessons determined to support her friend. She would surprise you with her thoughtfulness. Rebecca was one of the first people to visit a friend in the hospital with whom she had no contact in many months. Rebecca always found ways to touch everyone’s life.

Rebecca lived a life in motion and was full of energy. She focused on wellness in both body and spirit. She was a fitness fanatic. She loved to take on the most challenging workout regiments such as hiking the Grand Canyon. I would call her in the morning on a Saturday or Sunday and find out that she was already back from hiking Camelback Mountain or one of the local trails in Phoenix. Rebecca was very intelligent and achieved anything she set her mind on. Rebecca valued her life and lived her life to its fullest.
Rebecca loved God, her family, and life. Rebecca lived a life that was family centric. Although there was a geographic distance between us, Rebecca always made us feel she was right here with us. She honored and admired her parents. She was a role model to her younger siblings. She adored her nephew and niece. Rebecca was taken from us far too soon. It is hard to accept that she will not be a part of our lives as her younger brother and sister get married, her nephew and niece graduate from high school, and the other many family milestones ahead of us.

We love you so much Rebecca! Your smile, your joy, your liveliness, your eagerness, your creativity, your love, and your strength will be in our hearts forever. Every sunrise, every sunset, the beauty of every season will remind us of you and your beauty. Now you are in heaven with your Lord among the beautiful, the glorious, and among the angels where you belong. You look down upon us with your smile as beautiful as always and say "I am with my Lord where there is no pain, no tears, no more sadness nor crying, and where there is no more death."

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jonah and the Shacknai family on the loss of their son Max. We know he was a special child, who will be missed.

We appreciate the continuous outpouring of condolences from families, friends, and people in various parts of the nation and all over the world. This reflects who Rebecca was. Her legacy will continue to live in our hearts.

The Zahau Family

Her death came two days after Shacknai's son was hospitalized when he fell down the grand staircase inside the same home.

Zahau's cause of death is pending autopsy results, but Sheriff's deputies have so far hesitated to label this a homicide.

"This is a very bizarre death, there is no doubt about it, no question about it," said Sheriff's Capt. Tim Curran. "Until we can absolutely establish one manner or another, we're not ready to call this a criminal matter or a suicide."What would they call it then?

Zahau and Adam Shacknai were the only two people staying at the home the night of July 12. Zahau was staying in the main house. Adam Shacknai was staying in the guesthouse. Jonah Shacknai was not at the residence the evening prior to the discovery of the body nor at the time she was discovered, Curran said. He refused to reveal where Jonah Shacknai was at the time Zahau was found.

On Monday, Coronado police were called to the same home for the incident involving Jonah Shacknai's 6-year old son Max. The boy had fallen down stairs, was not breathing and did not have a pulse when paramedics arrived, officials said.

Emergency crews administered CPR and transported the child to a Coronado hospital. He was transferred to Rady Children's Hospital.

A female inside the home called 911 to report the child's accident, officials said. Who was the female?

“At that time, and at this time, we have no information to believe that this is anything other than a tragic accident with the child,” Coronado Chief Louis Scanlon said.

The Shacknai mansion, one of the most storied residences in Coronado, was built in 1908 as a beach home for John D. Spreckels, who owned the nearby Hotel Del Coronado.

The 27-room main house includes six bedrooms, 4.5 baths, basement, attic, an unfinished wine-storage room used during Prohibition and a guest home.

Source: Rebecca Zahau's Family Speaks | NBC San Diego
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Something is Very amiss here. Could she have been having an affair with the brother? Or, was the brother obsessed w/her, she did not take kindly to his advances, he was jealous of his brother's fame/fortune and girlfriend and killed her?

Could the fact that the boy died two days before be completely insignificant to her death? I find that hard to believe..2 deaths in less than a week?

Sam, thank for the pic of the balcony. It doesn't look like that was a very steep jump. I am rather surprised that as fit as she was that she actually died from the fall. She landed on plush grass.

Could she have been intoxicated? Have we gotten a toxicology report back?

So many questions!

And, just because Jonah was not there (reminds me of Ronald Cummings "I was at work".) that really doesn't mean a hill of beans to me. Could he have paid his brother to knock her off for losing his son on her watch?

Just running all these scenarios in my old brain.

Sam, thanks for the compliment.

I don't like anyone watching over my shoulder and I try to treat people how I would like to be treated. I think respect begets respect. So, I just let most say what they want and it seems to work well here.

Many of us came from another crime blog where we were constantly monitored. We hung in there until the website went "poof". Several times. We became friends and confidants and I am Very happy that new members have joined and feel at home here. That means a lot.

The reports I've seen say the other female there at Max's death was Gabby (Gabrielle) Max's half sister. I'l find a link for you. ;-)

I also found this link that has lots of family details.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

"Records in the Arizona Justice Courts show a couple of files on Mr. Shaknai, one citation issued for failure to display a legible license plate on his vehicle in March 2009 and another citation for the same offense on April 27, 2010.

Currently, Mr. Shaknai and his ex-wife Dina are listed as defendants in a case filed by Robert Binder on March 24, 2011. Also included as a defendant is Medicis Pharmaceuticals. A day later, another civil suit was filed by Joseph Alessi against Mr. Shaknai and Medicis Pharmaceuticals.

Court documents show there are a dozen or so other civil cases in the ArizonaSuperior Courts against Mr. Shaknai and Medicis Pharmaceuticals Corporation."

Here is a fb page where Gabby is running for class VP.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

If you click on the pic that says Gabby Pink, that is a pic of her and Max.

These are pics of Ethan Shacknai at his Bar Mitzvah. The large family photo shows Ethan, Gabby, Max, Jonah and Rebecca, Kim (Ethan and Gabby's mom) James, - not sure if I see Dina in there or not.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
(I think you need to be signed in at fb to see these.)

Thank you for all the links you posted sam
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] allowFullScreen="true" AllowScriptAccess="always" />

View more videos at: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].

NBCSanDiego is reporting that sources close to the investigation into the hanging death of Rebecca Zahau state the investigators are “reasonably certain” the death was a suicide. The sources state that the investigation is finding no signs of murder and learned, during the investigation, that Zahau was tremendously grieved and battling guilt over the accident involving 6-year-old Max Shacknai who was in her care when he fell down the stairs two days before Zahau was found hanging nude from a second-story balcony.

I had an uncle who was an investigator for the District Attorney’s office for many years. There was a case during his time in that position that involved a man who was found dead with his hands tied behind his back, and then the same rope also tied around his neck and his ankles…in other words “hog-tied”. The man was found dead, inside his home, with the doors locked. The death was investigated as a possible homicide but ultimately my uncle’s investigative work, along with the law enforcement who were investigating the man’s death, proved that the man was into auto-erotic asphyxiation which involves restricting the airflow to the brain. The goal being to climax during this state of decreased oxygen flow to the brain, theoretically heightening the orgasm.

Law enforcement was able to prove that you can, in fact, “hog-tie” yourself loosely and subsequently tighten the rope with just your arm and feet motions. The man’s death was deemed accidental in that he apparently passed out during this little erotic masturbation session in a state where the rope remained taut around his neck and he asphyxiated himself. The same is believed to have happened in the death of David Carridine who was found bound and hanging from a noose in the closet of a hotel room.

So, it can be done. You can slip a noose over your head, and then you can bind your own ankles, and then lastly bind your own wrists behind your back.

But I have not heard of anyone pulling off the aforementioned self-hanging technique and then leaping over a 3 or 4 foot balcony railing to their death while having their hands tied behind their backs and their ankles bound. Haven’t heard of that trick. If I did, I would ask if they had formerly been in the circus.

So, here are the questions that have not been answered in order to make any ruling of suicide make sense:

Was Rebecca hanging from a rope that was sufficiently long for her to be standing on a table down at ground level in the courtyard and then jump off the table?
If so, was the table that was reported to have been taken away originally in a position that would allow Rebecca to tie herself up, naked, standing on the table surface, and then hopped off?
If not, was there a table or chair, or any object of sufficient height found on the balcony level that Rebecca could have tied herself up while standing on it and then hopped off?
If not, could someone please explain how Rebecca slipped a noose over her neck, tied her ankles and her wrists, and then leaped at least 3 feet in the air to clear the railing?
Or, could someone please explain how Rebecca stood on a railing that appears in photographs and videos of the crime scene to be at best 3 inches wide, slip a noose over her head, tie her ankles and then tie her wrists before hopping off said railing…and wouldn’t she still need something to climb up on the railing? and wouldn’t that object still be on the balcony?

Well, we may never know, since the entire crime scene findings have been sealed. And why? If the investigators are “reasonably confident” that the death was a suicide, then there is no perpetrator to tip in the situation, so why don’t they just let us all see the evidence that indicates to them on a “reasonably confident” level that Rebecca Zahau stripped butt-naked, made a noose, bound herself and the wrists and ankles, and leaped to her own death?

And who, exactly, are the investigators getting the information from that Rebecca was ate up with guilt over Max’s accident? It wasn’t from her sister who has repeatedly stated that at about midnight the night before Rebecca’s body was found hanging from that balcony spoke with her sister on the phone. Rebecca’s sister has stated that Rebecca shared nothing of overwhelming guilt, that she was hopeful that Max would make a recovery, and that she needed to be strong and be there for Max. Rebecca’s sister stated that in that phone call Rebecca had told her she would be calling their parents in the morning and would be sending updates through-out the next day on Max’s condition.

So who exactly is claiming Rebecca was near suicidal with guilt? Jonah Shacknai? or maybe Dina (Romano) Shacknai? Exactly who…in the circle of people that at this time could only be ruled out as suspects after numerous boxes were checked off (and I don’t believe enough time has passed for all those boxes to get checked for at least 3 people that I can count), is saying this?

And while the reasoning being given by “the source” close to the investigation about why Rebecca’s wrists were tied behind her back makes sense – with that reason being to prevent her from trying to free herself once she took that fatal hop – I have to repeat what retired homicide detective Rick Carlson said while discussing this, “It really doesn’t seem to be a reason why they would bind their feet.”

No, it doesn’t. In fact, I can’t think of any reason a person wanting to kill themselves from a second story balcony would make the whole process that more difficult by tying electrical cord around their ankles. Can you? For that matter, how many of you ladies out there would consider being found dead, hanging in mid-air, butt-naked? Anybody in on that one?
source
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

There is no way she killed herself. The fact she was naked to me says that not only did the person want to kill her, they wanted to humiliate her as well. Schaknai makes something like 70 million a year - I dont believe the police want to mess with him.

I'm not buying that story. It's not from the official LE website anyway, and LE has already stated if it didn't come straight from their website, it was probably just rumor.

So to get this correct, Sam you are saying that the story about her having tied her feet together is not true and and that she did kill herself? Sorry I wasnt clear on your comment.

I agree w Sam. He is saying he doesn't buy the story he posted as it's not coming from LE's mouth. I think the suicide theory is pure b.s.!

Valhall was right on as usual.

Here's the link to the sheriff's notice:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I think Rebecca was murdered. Suspects, IMO, would be Dina or Adam (either on his own or acting for someone else. Motive: possibly jealousy or revenge. That's just my opinion.

I dont think a woman would kill another woman that way or a man even if she could overcome him. That has to have been done by a man.

IDK about that. If the woman had a gun she could have overcome anyone. Many women are as strong as men ( :cheering: ) so I think it's possible but may not be probable.

Sam, thanks for the pdf link!

It isnt that a woman couldnt do it, though holding a gun and having to tie someones feet and hands tight enough so you could then get a noose around their neck and throwing them over a balcony would take some doing - its more of an emotional thing - I dont think a woman would think to make a person strip - it just sound more of a mans thinking to me.
Of course, it would be easier if it were two people doing the assault then
one holding a weapon the other doing the tying up.

its more of an emotional thing - I dont think a woman would think to make a person strip - it just sound more of a mans thinking to me.

I don't think anyone made her strip. I think she was sleeping in bed in the nude and someone snuck in and strangled her. Then they tied a rope over the balcony, and took her downstairs and arranged the whole blue scarf, rope, balcony scene from below. They probably had her on the table and pushed her off, breaking the table leg in the process. No one ever saw her hanging there. We just have Adam saying he cut her down from there.
A woman could have stayed at the hospital for an alibi and paid someone (a jealous brother, maybe) to do this. Or he could have done it on his own. I just don't think a suicide would go to all that trouble.

But I'm betting Jonah has enough money to sweep it all under the rug. :-/ (I did read rumor only that Dina has checked into a mental rehab place ever since Rebecca was found. Can't remember where I read that though, and it was just rumor.)

auto-erotic asphyxiation ???

This is the perfect place for me to use my favorite abbreviation!!!
WTF?

I like Sams theory of her sleeping nude and someone strangling her first then making it look like she hanged herself. That makes the most sense to me of all.

I also agree w/Sam's theory and LOVE what Nite said!!

Especially

Zero to Bitch in 30 seconds

:riding: :witch:

Authorities To Hold Briefing About Coronado Deaths

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department will hold a media briefing on Friday about the investigations into the July deaths of Rebecca Zahau and Max Shacknai in Coronado.

The department announced the news conference 24 hours in advance because of the intense media interest from across the nation.

Max, 6, was rushed to the hospital after suffering a head injury when he fell down a staircase inside the Spreckels mansion in Coronado, which his father, Medicis Pharmaceuticals CEO Jonah Shacknai, owns.
Two days later, Jonah Shacknai's girlfriend Rebecca Zahau was found dead, naked and hanging from the mansion's balcony with her hands and feet tied. Max died several days later.
Investigator have officially ruled whether Zahau's death a suicide or homicide, but several media outlets have cited sources who said Zahau took her own life because she felt so guilty that the boy suffered the injury while she was babysitting him.
Sources told 10News Thursday that Zahau's family was notified of the findings, and they are not disputing media reports that her death will be ruled a suicide.
Retired San Diego police Det. Rick Carlson said suicide is a likely scenario.
"At this point, [her death is] going to be determined a suicide ... but until facts and findings come out, we won't know," said Carlson.
Carlson said even though the public won't know for sure until the sheriff's department releases its finding, he has reason to believe Zahau's death will be ruled a suicide.
"There has been no follow up investigations thus far, as far as a person of interest that has been presented to the public; I'm just merely speculating but those are my feelings," said Carlson.
In an interview with RadarOnline.com posted on Thursday, Snowem Horwath, Zahau's sister, said: "Becky did not kill herself, someone killed her. "Time will reveal who killed Becky. I think I know who killed my sister. We are not stupid, she never had any enemies."
Additionally, Horwath told RadarOnline.com: "They do not have enough evidence to say it is a suicide, it is such a big lie."
Sheriff Bill Gore will lead a panel of experts from the Sheriff’s Homicide Detail, Sheriff’s Crime Lab, County Medical Examiner’s Office, and Coronado Police Department to discuss the findings on the deaths of Zahau and Shacknai at 11:00 a.m. There will be a Q& A portion after the media briefing.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Coronado Mansion Death of Rebecca Zahau Ruled a Suicide, Sister Says

By CHRISTINA CARON (@cdcaron)
Sept. 2, 2011

Investigators have concluded that a woman found hanged, bound and naked at a California millionaire's historic mansion took her own life, the dead woman's sister told ABC News.

Mary Zahau-Loehner said today that police notified her Wednesday that they had ruled her sister's death a suicide, ending a six-week investigation. But Zahau-Loehner isn't buying the suicide ruling.

The body of Rebecca Zahau, 32, was found on the grounds of the Spreckels Mansion in Coronado, Calif., July 13. When police arrived they found Zahau on the back lawn, her hands tied behind her back and her feet bound.

"Their main reason is saying that they did not see any signs of struggle or physical injury that would show there's foul play," Zahau-Loehner said.

In addition, police reportedly told Zahau-Loehner they found two undated "notes" on Zahau's phone about her boyfriend, "but these were written several months ago and doesn't discuss anything about her being depressed or fed up with life or anything like that," she said. "That was their other basis -- saying it doesn't seem her life was in order. That upset me because they do not know Becky … you mean to tell me from two writings they're going to conclude, 'Oh, she must be really depressed.'"
PHOTO: Jonah Shacknai and Rebecca Zahau had a happy relationship of nearly three years according to Zahau's sister. Zahau was found dead at Shacknai's home in Coronado, Calif., on July 13. Police have not yet ruled out suicide.

Zahau's sister, a nurse practitioner who said she spoke to her sister almost every day, told ABCNews.com Zahau had no psychiatric history, and had never taken anti-depressants or attempted suicide.

The notes on Zahau's phone didn't appear to have been sent to anyone, but referenced an "argument" she had with her boyfriend, Jonah Shacknai, the 54-year-old multimillionaire founder and CEO of Medicis Pharmaceutical Corporation in Scottsdale, Ariz., who has owned the mansion since 2007.

His brother and houseguest Adam Shacknai may have been the last person to see Zahau alive.

Adam Shacknai told police he had cut Zahau down from the balcony after he found her hanging.

"We have had other cases in the past where people have used creative ways to commit suicide" including people whose hands were tied behind their back," San Diego sheriff spokesman Roy Frank told ABCNews.com in July.

For nearly two months, Zahau's mysterious death made headlines across the nation. And as time passed, Zahau's family and friends struggled to understand why police had not ruled out suicide.

"Rebecca was a beautiful, vibrant, loving and kind person and she would never do this to herself," Zahau-Loehner told ABC News in July.

Zahau and Shacknai, who had been together for more than two years, seemed happy together, she said. Zahau-Loehner also told ABCNews.com today that she had spoken to her sister the night before she died, and talked about her plans for the following day.

Two days before Zahau's body was found, 6-year-old Max Shacknai, Jonah Shacknai's son, fell down the stairs at the mansion.

"She was going to call mom and dad the next morning and text me throughout the day with updates on Max," Zahau-Loehner said at the time. "She was very hopeful. She had to be strong and there for Jonah."

Zahau, a former ophthalmic technician, performed CPR on Max and asked her younger sister, who was also there at the time, to call 911, Zahau-Loehner told ABCNews.com today.

Paramedics also performed CPR, but Max "was not breathing and did not have a pulse," Coronado Police Chief Louis Scanlon told reporters in July.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Sorry I dont believe she killed herself. Everyone in the country knows you dont disturb a scene where someone has died. Why did the brother cut her down?
I dont know how much affection she had for Shacknai
but he had an awful lot of money and I cant see her killing herself.

too.

Wow.

Zahau, 32, the girlfriend of Jonah Shacknai, CEO of the Arizona-based pharmaceutical company that produces cosmetic drugs such as Restylane, used kitchen knives to cut lengths of red nautical rope she found in the oceanfront mansion's garage and then bound her own hands and feet with it, said homicide Sgt. Dave Nemeth of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.
She attached the rope to the footboard of a bed in the guest room, slipped a noose around her neck, went through the room's double doors onto the balcony and hurled herself over the scrollwork, wrought-iron railing, he said.
Shacknai's brother, Adam, who was visiting from Memphis and was staying in the mansion's guest house, found Zahau's body at 6:48 a.m. on July 13, Nemeth said.
"When she was found in the courtyard, part of the rope was still grasped in her fingers," Nemeth said.
San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore said Zahau left a "message" scrawled in black paint on the door of the guest room. He would not disclose what the message said, but did not characterize it as a suicide note.
Investigators found black paint on Zahau's hand, torso and the rope around her neck. They found only Zahau's fingerprints in the guest room and on the knives and two paintbrushes left on the bedroom floor. Footprints left on the balcony match Zahau's and the boot of police officers who investigated the scene, Nemeth said. Police also re-enacted their scenario to determine whether it's possible to bind one's own hands and feet, he said.
"No one witnessed this event. We don't know in what order things were done," he said. "This was the best conclusion we could come to: She made the decision to take her own life."
Medical examiner Jonathan Lucas found no evidence of a struggle or sexual assault and said he easily removed the bindings from her hands and wrists.

More here..
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
_______
But her neck wasn't broken, was it? If you tied your hands and feet together and hurled yourself over a balcony, you'd have a broken neck, I'm sure. And "mixed DNA on the rope" Nope, not buying it. I want them to release what they found painted on the door.

Also the above USA today article says he was "planking" - but the link below (which has a video of the press conference today - 2nd down on left - which shows how Max fell) has Max falling headlong over the side of the stairs while running.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Anne Bremner, who is always on NG, is the family's lawyer.
The suicide conclusion "doesn't pass the smell test," the family's attorney Anne Bremner told HLN's Jane Velez-Mitchell, saying it seems unrealistic that Zahau could have bound herself and gone to the balcony, all while nude.

That was a long sleeved t-shirt around her neck!

The autopsy concluded Zahau was "alive when she went over the (second-floor) balcony" with a long-sleeve T-shirt wrapped around her neck, Lucas said. He told reporters Friday there was no evidence of a struggle or a sexual assault, or that she was in any way rendered unconscious or incapacitated, adding that "her feet were dirty consistent with standing on the dirty balcony."
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I'm not buying it either Sam. There's big money involved with this case and I don't think anything else will be released. JMOO.

This is just crazy. Now another report says she was also gagged with the blue t-shirt. It also has details from the autopsy. Also says the writing on the door said, "She Saved Him Can You Save Her" No clue what that means, but I don't think she'd refer to herself as "her." I don't see how you could gag yourself when your hands are tied behind your back. It's just too much and sounds like she was forced off the balcony at gunpoint.
This article also says there was a razor scooter across Max's shin when he was found and he said the dog's name before he passed out.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Autopsy: Rebecca Zahau found dead with T-shirt in mouth

CORONADO, Calif. (CBS8) -- Explosive new details contained in an autopsy report suggest Rebecca Zahau was not only found naked, bound and hanging at the historic Spreckels mansion in Coronado; but she was also gagged with a T-shirt wrapped around her mouth and neck.

"She had a reddish-orange rope ligature around her neck and a blue piece of fabric, possibly a shirt, around the neck outside of the ligature. A portion of this shirt was reportedly originally in the decedent's mouth," Deputy Medical Examiner Jonathan Lucas wrote in the autopsy report obtained by News 8.

The new revelations came just hours after the Medical Examiner and the San Diego Sheriff's department ruled the woman's death a suicide.

Zahau, 32, was found hanging from a second-story balcony on July 13 at the Ocean Blvd. home of her millionaire boyfriend, 54-year-old Jonah Shacknai.

The only other person home at the time of Zahau's death was Jonah's brother Adam Shacknai, 48, who was staying in a guest house and discovered the body in the early morning hours.

"Adam ran into the main house to get a knife, pulled a nearby wooden table to the decedent's body, stood on top, cut the rope and laid the decedent's naked body on the grass," the report continued. "He removed a blue cloth which had been in her mouth in an effort to perform CPR and at 0648 hours, placed a 9-1-1 call to request assistance."

During a 90-minute news conference Friday, San Diego Sheriff William Gore said Zahau was distraught that her boyfriend's 6-year-old son, Max Shacknai, was gravely injured in a fall down the stairs July 11. The boy died July 16, days after Zahau's hanging.

Investigators said nobody witnessed the fall but the boy's autopsy report revealed new information about the possible cause of that incident.

"Rebecca was in the restroom (and) she heard a loud crash. She found Max unresponsive on the floor beneath the banister," the report said. "She heard Max say the dog's name ‘Ocean' and (Max) then became unresponsive."

"A ‘Razor' type scooter was lying across his right shin," the report continued. "(Max) had been told in the past not to ride his scooter in the hallway."

Max was rushed to the hospital and "a pulse was regained after approximately 25 – 30 minutes," the report said.

Two days later, on the morning of her death, phone records showed Zahau retrieved a voicemail at 12:50 a.m. that Max's condition had worsened and that he was unlikely to survive, investigators said.

The autopsy and investigation concluded Zahau bound her own hands and feet, before looping the rope around her neck and rolling off the balcony.

"The relatively well-preserved bare footprints on the balcony and the lack of signs of a struggle or other footprints on the balcony indicate that she went over the balcony on her own," Deputy Medical Examiner Lucas wrote.

Medical Examiner Investigator Dana Gary also described a message found painted on a door inside the house.

"I noted black painted writings on the bedroom door that led into the room with the balcony," Gary wrote. "The writing ‘She Saved Him Can You Save Her' in black paint was on the hallway side of the bedroom door," the report said.

The autopsy report does not explain why Zahau may have fashioned the T-shirt to gag herself. Investigators did not mention the gag during their media briefing Friday. However, the report does describe in great detail how the T-shirt was wrapped:

"There is a light blue or turquoise long sleeve T-shirt also around the neck on top of/outside of the rope. It was fashioned by tying the two ends of the long sleeves together near the cuffs in a double knot. The sleeves are wrapped three times around the neck with the abdominal and lower chest portion of the shirt extending from the anterior aspect of the ligature. The end of this has a small amount of what appears to be dried secretions."

Zahau's family said Friday they do not believe the suicide conclusion of the autopsy.

The family has hired high-profile Seattle-based attorney Anne Bremner to represent them. Bremner told News 8 she plans to formally request the Sheriff's Department re-open Zahau's death investigation.

"There are too many questions," Bremner told News 8.

"We don't want to point fingers at anybody," she added. "But if it's not a suicide, it's a homicide, and that needs to be looked at."

The report confirmed, "The decedent had no known history of being diagnosed with depression and no medical history."
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
There's a video at the link, can't embed.

There's a photo of the blue tee shirt (after it was removed from her mouth)around Rebecca Zahau's neck, I did NOT post it because it is graphic. You can view the photo at the link: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

The report confirmed, "The decedent had no known history of being diagnosed with depression and no medical history."

No way was this a suicide.