2 die in historic mansion in the same week

CORONADO, Calif. -- The most common crimes are small-time theft. Bicycles vanish from homes. Cellphones and other gadgets are stolen from cars and beach towels.

Residents of the wealthy San Diego suburb of Coronado -- which features safe streets, world-class beaches and a small-town feel -- are shocked by two mysterious deaths within a week, both tied to a historic mansion.

The first came when Rebecca Zahau, the 32-year-old girlfriend of Arizona pharmaceuticals tycoon Jonah Shacknai was found dead July 13, her nude body hanging from balcony of his home, her wrists and ankles bound.

Two days earlier, Shacknai's son, Max, 6, who was being cared for by Zahau, fell down the stairs and was hospitalized. His parents said late Sunday that he died from his injuries.

Investigators say the son's death was an accident. They say Zahau's death is suspicious, but haven't ruled out suicide. Authorities repeated Monday they haven't established any link between the boy's fall and the woman's death.

Investigators identified the woman as Rebecca Nalepa, but court records show she changed her last name to Zahau in May after a divorce. Investigators declined to discuss evidence in the case.

"Suicides can appear odd," San Diego County Sheriff's Sgt. Roy Frank said. "It's not unusual to have a suicide that appears to be something else."

As shocking as the discovery of Zahau's body was, Marilynne Hartstein, a summertime resident from Scottsdale, Ariz., said it appeared to be a family or personal matter.

"People aren't afraid for themselves," Hartstein said on a morning walk.

Coronado draws many part-time residents from Arizona. They are known as "Zonies" -- people who escape the Grand Canyon State's oppressive heat for California's ocean breezes.

Shacknai's 27-room home, known as the Spreckels mansion, is one of the more storied properties in a city of multimillion-dollar homes. It has unobstructed beach views and sits near Coronado's main street, which is lined with palm trees and upscale boutiques.

San Diego's gleaming skyline is across the San Diego Bay.

Zahau was at home with another woman, whom authorities won't identify, when Max fell down the stairs last Monday, Coronado Police Chief Louis Scanlon said. Paramedics found he wasn't breathing and did not have a pulse. He was treated at Rady Children's Hospital San Diego.

Scanlon called the boy's fall a "tragic accident."

Ted Greenberg, owner of Camp Diggity Dog, said Zahau called the Coronado kennel last Monday, shortly after the boy's fall, to ask that someone pick up her 14-month-old Weimaraner, Ocean. She said her child was hospitalized after an injury.

"She described it as her child," he said.

Greenberg went to the home Tuesday.

"She was crying on the phone on Monday and Tuesday she was quiet," he said.

Shacknai's brother, Adam, called 911 Wednesday to report that Zahau appeared to be dead, investigators said. The brother was staying in a mansion guesthouse. Jonah Shacknai was not at home.

On Sunday, Jonah Shacknai and his ex-wife, Dina, Max's mother, announced that their son had died from his injuries.

"His loving, kind and vibrant spirit will be forever in our hearts and those whom he touched every day," they said in a statement.