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 www.burma-orphans.com.

Posted document.write(niceDate('7/27/2011 1:04:09 PM')); | Updated document.write(niceDate('7/27/2011 1:55 PM'));