‘She Saved Him, Can You Save Her?’ Rebecca Zahau | Part 1

Summary

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Crime Salad – "She Saved Him, Can You Save Her?" Rebecca Zahau | Part 1

Hosts: Ashley & Ricky
Date: May 12, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of Crime Salad begins a two-part deep dive into the suspicious deaths at the Spreckels Mansion in Coronado, California in July 2011 – first, the tragic fall of six-year-old Max Shaknai, followed days later by the mysterious hanging of Rebecca Zahau. Ashley and Ricky meticulously reconstruct Rebecca’s life story, the complexities of her relationships, and the perplexing circumstances surrounding both deaths. The episode is guided by Crime Salad’s mission for truth, accountability, and trauma-informed storytelling, focusing on the evidence, systemic failures, and disputed investigative conclusions.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Setting the Stage: Spreckels Mansion and Coronado

• Coronado, CA is painted as idyllic and affluent, with its historic architecture and “golden-shimmer” beaches. The Spreckels Mansion—a 27-room waterfront estate—is the central location of the tragedy.
  • Ashley: “It’s not a place where you would expect two tragedies in the span of a few days…” [05:48]
  • Ricky: “There’s just something strange about a private fortress that’s also five feet away from a tourist beach.” [05:39]

Rebecca Zahau’s Background

• Rebecca’s Journey: Born in 1979 in the Chin hills of Myanmar, migrated through Nepal and Germany, before settling in the U.S. in 2001.
• Personality: Multilingual, disciplined, devout Christian, health-conscious, and deeply compassionate.
  • Ashley: “She was generous to a fault. She was dependable, caring and deeply compassionate.” [08:37]
• Family & Career: Originally an ophthalmic technician, married to Neil Nelipa, then entered a transformative relationship with Jonah Shaknai, CEO of a pharmaceutical company.

The Shaknai Family & Household Tensions

• Jonah Shaknai: Wealthy, influential, with three children from two marriages, including young Maxfield (“Max”) Shaknai.
• Rebecca’s Transition: Quits her career to move in with Jonah at the Spreckels Mansion, taking an active, nurturing role with Max.
• Household Dynamics:
  • Tension with Jonah's teenage children.
  • Her own sister acknowledged Rebecca considered ending the relationship for her own well-being.
  • Close bond formed between Rebecca and Max, with her sister saying Max preferred Rebecca for daily routines.
    • Ashley: “Max preferred Rebecca for daily routines, wanting her to read to him, prepare his meals, and be the one to take care of him.” [18:11]

The First Tragedy: Max's Fall (July 11, 2011)

• Incident Details: Rebecca and her teenage sister Xena present when Max fell over the second-floor banister, bringing down the chandelier.
  • Sheriff Bill Gore’s theory: Max riding a Razor scooter, likely tripped and fell. [17:02]
• Injuries: Severe spinal cord trauma, inability to breathe, multiple facial fractures.
• Rebecca’s Account: She claims to have been in the bathroom; hears noise, finds Max unresponsive. Her retelling includes Max murmuring “Ocean”—the family dog’s name—before losing consciousness.
• Response: Xena calls 911; Max rushed to hospital, remains in critical condition; household thrown into uncertainty.
• Aftermath: Rebecca arranges for her puppy to be picked up by a kennel, reportedly crying and distraught.
  • Ricky: “Rebecca was crying on the phone… On Tuesday when [the kennel owner] came by to get the dog, she was quiet.” [20:09]

The Second Tragedy: Rebecca's Death (July 13, 2011)

• Timeline Leading Up: July 12, Rebecca drives Xena to the airport, picks up Adam Shaknai (Jonah’s brother) from the airport. That evening, dinner with a family friend; Rebecca and Adam return to the mansion, Jonah stays at the hospital.
• Discovery of Rebecca’s Body:
  • Adam claims to have found Rebecca hanging from the second-story balcony, naked, hands and ankles bound with red rope behind her back, gagged with a blue long-sleeved T-shirt. [21:10]
  • Notable injuries: bruises, tape residue, unexplained blood.
  • News and autopsy reports describe strange, complex bindings; neat rope knots, gag constructed out of the shirt (“would have taken some time really to construct the bindings… not sloppy knots…” – Ashley [22:54]).
  • Adam cuts her down before police arrive; Rebecca pronounced dead on the grass outside.

Crime Scene Anomalies

• Unusual Elements:
  • Multiple knives on the floor.
  • Empty garbage bag.
  • Drops of black paint.
  • A red rope loop-tied to the bed.
  • “Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft”–contains images mirroring Rebecca’s position (investigators dismiss witchcraft as relevant).
  • Painted message on door: “she saved him. Can you save her?”
    • Ricky: “The phrasing matters here. ‘Can you save her?’—that’s a direct address to whoever finds her. It’s not the language of a person writing about themselves.” [29:53]

Investigations and Conflicting Theories

• Max’s Death:
  • Initially ruled an accident (tripped/riding scooter, fell).
  • Dr. Bradley Peterson (head of ICU): "He did not feel the visible injuries were consistent with the cardiac arrest and brain swelling experienced..." [30:13]
  • Dr. Peterson and hospital staff flag possible suffocation before the fall, leading to a CPS probe (later dropped after the accidental death ruling).
• Rebecca’s Death:
  • Treated as suspicious at first; then, September 2, 2011, ruled a suicide, theory being Rebecca was consumed by guilt after Max’s accident.
  • Official narrative: Rebecca bound her own hands/ankles and hanged herself.
  • Families and multiple independent forensic experts contest this.
    • Dr. Cyril Wecht (second autopsy): Rebecca's throat fractures "not consistent with hanging," more suggestive of manual strangulation.
    • Forensic consultant Dr. Maurice Godwin: “Highly unlikely” to strike head four times in a fall like this.
  • Claims also arise of possible sexual assault (denied by authorities; family disputes sheriff’s investigation findings).
• Phone Records:
  • Rebecca’s phone used and messages sent from 8pm to around midnight. Last activity: checking a deleted voicemail at 12:50am. Police never retrieve deleted message (possibly from Jonah regarding Max’s health).

Forensic Red Flags and Knot Evidence

• Binding Complications:
  • Self-binding is exceedingly rare in suicide (1-5% of cases, typically with loose/slip knots).
  • Knots in Rebecca’s case identified as complex, maritime knots—more consistent with nautical expertise.
    • Adam Shaknai, only one present, is a tugboat captain.
  • Ashley: “The knots that were found on Rebecca’s body, they were not simple slip knots that could be tightened with the teeth. Rebecca’s hands were tied behind her back with a complex knot.” [37:27]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Ashley: “She was generous to a fault. She was dependable, caring and deeply compassionate.” [08:37]
• Ricky: “There’s just something strange about a private fortress that’s also five feet away from a tourist beach.” [05:39]
• Ashley (on the scene): “…this really tells you something about her because she was this type of person who had a routine, and people with routines are generally not impulsive.” [08:37]
• Ricky (reflecting on the knot bindings): "Put all those details together and just think about that for a second. Does that seem right to you?" [22:36]
• Ashley: "Yeah, it doesn't really scream suicide at this point." [22:50]
• Ricky: “‘Can you save her?’—that’s a direct address to whoever finds her. It’s not the language of a person writing about themselves.” [29:53]
• Ashley (regarding the phone records and unanswered questions): “So one of the last communications Rebecca ever received is to this day, a black box.” [36:28]
• Ashley (concluding): “That is where we’re going to leave it for this week. This is part one. Part two drops next week and we are going to get more of the details that came up in the family’s fight to prove that what the sheriff called a suicide was something else entirely.” [39:53]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment & Content | |------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:16 | Setting: Coronado, Spreckels Mansion, and Rebecca’s background | | 09:36 | Rebecca’s marriage to Neil and meeting Jonah Shaknai | | 16:32 | Tensions blending into the Shaknai family, Rebecca and Max's relationship| | 17:02 | Details of Max’s accident | | 20:09 | Aftermath: Rebecca’s emotional response, kennel call | | 21:10 | Timeline leading to Rebecca’s death, Adam’s account | | 22:36 | Discussion of the binding evidence & knot complexity | | 29:53 | The painted door message: “she saved him. Can you save her?” | | 30:13 | Medical staff’s suspicions about Max's injuries/suffocation concern | | 37:27 | Forensic red flags: rare bindings in suicide–maritime knot evidence | | 39:53 | Part 1 conclusion and tease for Part 2 |

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Episode Tone & Approach

Ashley and Ricky maintain a measured and deeply respectful tone, emphasizing the importance of sticking to facts, highlighting conflicting perspectives, and refraining from sensationalism. They carefully cite official records, expert opinions, and family perspectives, always foregrounding the impact on those involved.

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Closing Remarks

Part 1 sets up the central conflict at the heart of this infamous case: was Rebecca Zahau’s death a suicide arising from unimaginable guilt, or a staged homicide? The episode leaves listeners with the unanswered questions, forensic oddities, and the Zahau family’s determination to seek justice. Part 2 is promised to explore the subsequent investigations, civil trial, and the enduring search for truth.

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Transcript

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[Ashley]

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[Ashley]

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[Ashley]

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[Ashley]

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[Ashley]

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[Ricky]

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[Ashley]

has a secret reptile population. You can watch the record breaking phenomenon at home. You're clearly working at. Zootopia 2. Now available on Disney. Rated PG. Before we get into today's case, a quick heads up. This episode discusses suicide, the death of a child and and allegations of sexual assault. If any of these topics may be difficult for you to hear, please take care of yourself. If you or someone you know is struggling, you are not alone in the United States. You can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. If you're experiencing domestic abuse, the National Domestic violence hotline is available 24. 7 at 1-800-799-7233. We also want to be clear about how we're approaching this case. The information in this episode is drawn from publicly available news reports, court records, autopsy reports, official statements and books published about this case. Adam Shaknai has consistently maintained his innocence and was never criminally charged in connection with this case. The 2018 civil verdict that found him liable for Rebecca's death was vacated as part of a 2019 settlement. Statements about specific individuals throughout this episode should be understood as allegations, opinions, or attributed claims from named sources, not as statements of fact by us.

[Ricky]

Also, we aren't very familiar with some of the names in this episode, so we'll try our best. Please forgive us. With that being said, let's get into it.

[Ashley]

I'm Ashley. I'm Ricky and this is Crime Salad. Coronado, California is an affluent peninsula city in San Diego county, defined by wide sparkling beaches, historic architecture and a quiet atmosphere. People ride beach cruisers down tree lined streets and the sound of the Pacific Ocean is constantly in the background. The landscape is dominated by the massive Hotel del Coronado and the long stretch of the Coronado beach. The sand there is famous for containing mica, which gives it a literal golden shimmer under the bright Southern California sun. Orange Avenue is the city's heart. It's filled with upscale boutiques, vintage shops and high end dining, and it's a walkable, polished corridor that leads directly to the waterfront. Parks like Spreckels park are social hubs with gazebos, concerts and community events that give a small town feel. Despite being so close to San Diego In July of 2011, it was the start of perfect summer weather. Coronado was experiencing typical high 70s temperatures with dry, crisp heat. The light was blinding, reflecting off the white sand and the white walls of mansions. Specifically the sprawling Italian Renaissance masterpiece the Spreckels mansion. It's a 27 room palace by the sea. It's set on three beachfront lots that span roughly 19,000 square feet of land. Sitting directly across from the Pacific Ocean in the famous Hotel del Coronado.

[Ricky]

The mansion sits on Ocean Boulevard, which in July is one of the busiest streets in the country. The tourists and swimsuits and flip flops are constantly walking by. It's so close to the public beach that you can hear the surf and the voices of people on the sand.

[Ashley]

And can you imagine for a minute 27 rooms? Like I can't even imagine cleaning that or what the electric bill would look like.

[Ricky]

I don't even know 27 people. And there's just something strange about a private fortress that's also five feet away from a tourist beach.

[Ashley]

Yeah, it's not a place where you would expect two tragedies in the span of a few days, but that's what happened just two days after the family inside the Spreckles mansion endured one freak accident. Another horrific event took place without warning. Both are still under public scrutiny, and many still wonder what truly happened inside the mansion that day in July. Rebecca Zaha, or Becky to those closest to her, was born on March 15, 1979, in Falam, a small town in the Chin hills of what is now known as Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. It's a remote mountainous region in the northwest part of the country, far different from the coastal California mansion where she would end up. Rebecca came from a large family, one of six children raised with the Chin ethnic community in a Protestant household where faith played an important role from an early age. Rebecca started in a small, tight knit community in Myanmar, rooted in culture, religion, and family, and ultimately ended up in one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in California. Her path there was full of twists and turns. Before settling in the United States, Rebecca lived in multiple countries, including Nepal and Germany. And because of that, she became multilingual in English, Nepali, and Hindi. And those experiences shaped her worldview and gave her the ability to navigate different environments and cultures, leading Rebecca to eventually settle in the United States around 2001. By 2011, much of Rebecca's family had settled in St. Joseph, Missouri. Despite spreading out geographically, the family remained very close. Rebecca had several siblings, including her older sister Mary, her younger sister Snowm, and a teenage sister, Zena. Along with other siblings, Rebecca wasn't just defined by her background. She was defined by her personality, her discipline, and the way she treated others. She worked as an ophthalmic technician up until 2010, which is a highly skilled right hand to the ophthalmologist or an eye doctor. So outside of her job, she had a wide range of interests. According to her family, she was extremely health conscious and very disciplined when it came to what she ate and how she took care of her body. She avoided alcohol entirely. Instead, she would grab a protein drink.

[Ricky]

I wish I was the type of person who would have a protein shake at a party instead of alcohol. I mean, I think the closest thing I ever got to that was like an alcoholic milkshake. Yeah.

[Ashley]

And it is such a small detail, but this really tells you something about her because she was this type of person who had a routine, and people with routines are generally not impulsive. Another important part of her identity was her faith. She was raised Christian, and according to her family, that never changed. Even though she had stopped attending church regularly, her beliefs were always there and deeply rooted. By July of 2011, Rebecca had been considering finding a new place of worship, suggesting that her faith was something she was actively thinking about and reconnecting with. More than anything, Rebecca was kind. She was funny, charming, and someone who could make you laugh even on your worst day. She had a way of lighting up a room. She was generous to a fault. She was dependable, caring and deeply compassionate. In 2002, Rebecca married a 36 year old nursing student named Neil Nelipa in Scottsdale, Arizona.

[Ricky]

Scottsdale is a blend of history, resort and desert. In the historic heart, you'll find covered wooden boardwalks, hitching posts and bronze statues. In the resort area, you'll find lush green golf courses that look surreal against the brown desert. And in places like Pinnacle Peak and Troon north, the Sonoran Desert holds massive estates surrounded by cacti and isolated by mountains.

[Ashley]

And for nearly a decade, Rebecca and Neil were together building life in Scottsdale. But behind the scenes, things were already beginning to shift. By 2008, while still married to Neil, Rebecca met a man who completely changed the trajectory of her life. His name was Jonah Shaknai. At the time, Jonah was the CEO and founder of Medicis Pharmaceutical Corporation, a highly successful specialty pharma that dominated the medical, dermatology and aesthetics markets for over two decades. Jonah founded it in 1988 and it was best known for acquiring niche drugs, products that larger companies didn't see as blockbusters and turning them into market leaders through aggressive sales and marketing. The company focused on skin conditions and cosmetic treatments like antibiotics for acne, injectable fillers and wrinkle relaxers to compete with Botox. He was incredibly wealthy and well known in Arizona business circles and according to reporting from that period, in 2010 he ranked as the 9th highest paid CEO in the entire state with reported total compensation of around $6.4 million. He had serious money, influence and status, a huge shift from where Rebecca started and what she knew. According to reports, Rebecca first met Jonah through her job as an ophthalmic technician. Not long after the two began a relationship. Around the same time, Jonah had just finalized his own divorce from his second wife, Dina Romano, the mother of his youngest son. He had been married twice. His first marriage was to Kimberly James, which ended in divorce, followed by a three year custody battle over their two children with his second wife, Dina. They had a son together named Maxfield Shaknai, who went by max. Born on June 7, 2005, soccer was his entire world. He played as number six and the first word out of his mouth as a baby was ball. He started in the Tiny tots program at 22 months and his coaches and his teammates described him as having an intense drive to win. He was very kind and he had a great sense of humor. He had this signature wide smile and by the summer of 2011, he was about to advance in the 2005 Blackhawks team for the next season. He had two older half siblings and I'm sure they helped him so much, and he split his time between his mom and his dad after his parents divorced early in 2011. He was a kid in motion by the time Rebecca entered the picture in Jonah's life, he was just a young child. So as Rebecca and Jonah's relationship grew, she made the major decision to quit her job at Horizon Eye Specialist and Lasik center in Scottsdale, reportedly to spend more time with Jonah and his children. In December of 2010, Rebecca stepped away from her own career to immerse herself in Jonah's world, ending up in Jonah's sprawling estate in Coronado, the Spreckles Mansion. For the longest time, dinner planning meant standing in the grocery store at 5 o' clock hoping the meat in the case looked decent that day. Then we started to get Omaha Steaks amazing quality meats delivered fresh right to our door. And honestly, it cuts out so much of our weekly meal planning it's unbelievable. I'm confident that I'm putting real quality on the table for our family every single night. Everything is perfectly proportioned, individually vacuum sealed and when my older son comes home from a track meet or a football game, he is starving. There are steaks, burgers, chicken, seafood, even dessert. And it's a family owned company that's been perfecting this for over a hundred years. Years. Taste the Omaha Steaks difference and never settle for grocery proteins again. Get flavorful high quality proteins delivered by visiting omahasteaks.com/35 off when you use promo code Crime Salad at checkout. That's omahasteaks.com code Crimesalad terms apply. See site for details.

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[Ashley]

year old burning alive inside his own apartment. Police waited outside for 38 minutes. Was this an accident? A suicide? A specific section on both wrists unburned. Hours earlier, he would tell his parents that if his wife found out he was leaving, she would go ballistic. That's our episode. She'd go ballistic. The Suspicious death of David Elmquist. This is Crime Salad. I'm Ashley.

[Ricky]

I'm Ricky.

[Ashley]

Search for Crime Salad wherever you listen.

[Ricky]

As the romance strengthened, Rebecca's marriage to Neil officially ended in February of 2011. That left room for her relationship with Jonah to become more serious.

[Ashley]

Yeah, and from the outside, it sounded like a dream, living in a historic mansion with ocean views and financial security. But up close, not everything was so perfect. Blending into Jonah's life wasn't easy. When Rebecca entered the picture, Jonah already had three children, two teenagers and young Max. According to Rebecca's sister, the two teenagers resented her presence in the family. That tension created a difficult environment, one that Rebecca may have struggled to fully navigate. And her sister later said that Rebecca had considered ending the relationship just because of it, or at least putting it on hold because of the strain in the family. Yet she wasn't sure if Rebecca ever revealed those thoughts to Jonah. So there was this tension in the household, a major lifestyle shift, and Rebecca was kind of caught in the middle of it. Despite those challenges, Rebecca took on a very active role in caring for Jonah's youngest son, Max. She was often responsible for him taking him to and from soccer practice, helping him with meals, spending time playing with him. According to her sister, Rebecca and Max actually shared a close bond. Despite the other tensions in the household. She said Max preferred Rebecca for daily routines, wanting her to read to him, prepare his meals, and be the one to take care of him. And she made the time when it came to her relationship With Jonah, things were less clear. Her sister admitted she couldn't fully read their dynamic. She said she never really saw them being affectionate and they weren't particularly playful, at least not in front of people. At one point, when asked if they were in love, Rebecca simply said she didn't know. But then again, they hadn't been together that long. And despite the outside concerns, Rebecca continued to give her full effort to the new family she had stepped into. By July of 2011, Rebecca was living inside the Spreckles mansion, fully stepping into the life she'd built with Jonah. But on July 11, all of that changed. That day, Rebecca was at the mansion with Max, who was six years old at the time, and her own teenage sister, Xena, who was visiting from St. Joseph. And at some point during the day, Max fell over a second floor banister, going face first over the railing and crashing down below. According to Sheriff Bill Gore's later account of the case, the working theory was that Max had been racing down the second Floo hallway on his razor scooter when he tripped or fell and that he brought the chandelier down with him. And keep in mind, this wasn't a minor fall. Max suffered trauma to his spinal cord and multiple facial fractures. The damage to his spinal cord affected his ability to breathe and regulate his heart rate. Rebecca later said she had been in the bathroom when it happened and she found Max moments later unresponsive on the floor. According to the autopsy report obtained by CBS 8 News, Rebecca's account included that before becoming unresponsive, Max said one word, Ocean. That was the name of their family dog. Through their shock, Zena was the one who called 911 and rushed first responders to the scene. When paramedics arrived, Max wasn't breathing. He was rushed to Ray D Children's Hospital in critical condition. And from that moment on, everything became a waiting game.

[Ricky]

And here's a small detail that always sticks with me from this case. According to an Associated Press story published shortly after the deaths, on the morning of Max's accident, Rebecca called a local kennel called Camp Diggity Dog and asked them to come pick up her 14 month old puppy. She told them her child was hospitalized after an injury. According to that AP report, the kennel's owner, Ted Greenberg, said Rebecca was crying on the phone on Monday, the day of Max's fall, and that on Tuesday when he came by to get the dog, she was quiet.

[Ashley]

And the very next day, July 12, Max's family did their best to continue under the heavy cloud of uncertainty. So Rebecca took over. While Jonah sat by his son's side, Rebecca drove her sister Zena to the airport for her flight back to Missouri. After that, she picked up Jonah's brother Max's uncle, Adam Shaknai, who had just flown in from Memphis, Tennessee. That evening, Rebecca, Jonah and Adam had dinner with a friend named Howard. And after dinner, their paths split. Rebecca and Adam returned to the mansion and Jonah stayed behind. He stayed at his son's bedside alongside Max's mother, Dina. When he did leave the hospital briefly to rest, he went to a nearby Ronald McDonald House. But that night would be anything but normal. In the early hours of July 13, around 6:45 in the morning, everything took another devastating turn. Adam Shaknai said he made a shocking discovery. He found Rebecca hanging from a second story balcony, completely naked. Her wrists and ankles were bound with red rope and her hands were tied behind her back. A long sleeved blue T shirt had been wrapped around her head, the sleeves double knotted with the body of the shirt stuffed into her mouth as a gag. According to ABC News reporting on the autopsy report, which was Also obtained by CBS 8, the autopsy noted four hemorrhages, bruises, what investigators described as tape residue on her legs and blood on her legs. The medical examiner publicly stated the blood could have been related to her menstrual cycle. And he also said he could not explain the significance of the tape residue.

[Ricky]

So let's just think about this for a second. Naked hands tied behind her back, feet tied, gagged, hanging from a balcony. Like, put all those details together and just think about that for a second. Does that seem right to you?

[Ashley]

Yeah, it doesn't really scream suicide at this point.

[Ricky]

Not at all.

[Ashley]

And if you get a chance, please be warned. But looking at the crime scene photos, I mean, take a look at the way this rope was tied. It would have taken some time really to construct the bindings that were found on her wrist and ankles. They aren't sloppy knots and I don't even think that I could make these knots. The rope was wrapped multiple times around her ankles, very neatly layered. And we'll talk more about the knots later in Part two next week. But something just doesn't sit right and I think most people would agree. And for the long sleeved blue shirt that was found tied around her neck, the two sleeves were knotted together at the cuffs and then the shirt was wrapped three times around her neck. The body of the shirt hung down in front and a portion of that shirt had originally been stuffed in her mouth. So for that to make sense, this would have had to be done first before she bound her ankles and her wrists. So When Adam called 911, police arrived at the mansion to a horrific scene. The next day, after Max's fall, Adam sent a text message to his brother Jonah telling him what had happened and paramedics arrived. At some point before they arrived at the scene, Adam had cut Rebecca down from the hanging rope. Her body was found naked on the grass. She was still bound and gagged and first responders did everything they could to revive her, but it was too late. She was pronounced dead at the scene. I'm Mandy. And I'm Melissa. And this is Moms and Mysteries. We're two Florida moms obsessed with true crime. From infamous cases like Ellen Greenberg to shocking Florida stories like the Dan Markell killing. With 55 million downloads, we bring you new deep dives lives. Every Tuesday and Thursday, listen to Moms and mysteries on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Reality TV is messy, pop culture is louder than ever, and the Internet completely unhinged. Welcome to Roxanne and Chantel, the podcast where cousins Roxanne and Chantal break down reality tv, celebrity drama and the stories everyone's texting about. We recap the shows, spill the headlines, and sit down with the stars themselves. No filter, no boring, takes just the tea. New episodes every week. If it's trending, we're talking about it. This is Roxanne and Chantel. Let's get into it.

[Mick Hunt]

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[Ricky]

Adam's account of when he cut her down has actually shifted over the years. He told dispatchers in the moment one Thing, and later told the police something slightly different.

[Ashley]

He told dispatchers on the phone that he was giving her compressions, that he had cut her down. But the audio of that 911 call has been picked apart by experts ever since. There's parts of this audio that sound like he's shuffling through the kitchen trying to find a knife. And there's also parts where it sounds like he's cutting her down during the call. It's muffled, so it's really hard to make out what's happening. And there's even parts of the call that sound like he's talking to someone else that was in the house saying to hold her still. But again, it's not very clear. And not to mention the inside of the bedroom that led out to the balcony. That scene was unsettling on its own. There were knives found on the carpeted floor. There was an empty garbage bag just sitting next to the bed. And there were what looked like drops of black paint on the carpet. And around that same area in the same photo, there was a red rope that was, like, loop tied. So, like, if you make a loop knot, it put the string through the loop around the leg of the bed that was found. And just to make everything seem even more strange and interesting, detectives find a book titled buckland's complete book of witchcraft. According to abc news, that book contained drawings of a rite depicting a naked woman with her hands tied behind her back. Investigators were quick to publicly say that witchcraft itself had nothing to do with this case. But the book's presence in that room makes it very interesting, and it's part of the public record. On July 16, Max Shaknai tragically died. Doctors determined his cause of death was brain damage from oxygen deprivation, a result of going too long without breathing after his fall off the banister. It was an extremely shocking moment for the family. I mean, to suddenly lose a child. Followed so closely by an unexpected, violent death of rebecca. And almost immediately, speculation of foul play began Because a fall explained some injuries, but not necessarily everything that was being observed. Initially, on July 26, investigators ruled Max's death an accident, speculating he had simply tripped, possibly over a ball, the dog, or while riding a scooter. Inside the mansion, investigators reportedly found a message that had been painted in black on the door of the guest bedroom. It read, she saved him. Can you save her? At first, even law enforcement was unsure what they were looking at. Reports from that period describe Rebecca's death as initially being treated as a homicide.

[Ricky]

So was this a message that was written on the door before Rebecca's death?

[Ashley]

I'm not really sure. But it is very eerie because now Rebecca is dead. So does it have some kind of connection?

[Ricky]

Rebecca's ex husband later confirmed that this was the message at the scene, since officials initially declined to confirm the wording publicly. And the phrasing matters here. Can you save her? That's a direct address to whoever finds her. It's not the language of a person writing about themselves.

[Ashley]

On the same token, a doctor who treated Max raised serious suspicions in the immediate aftermath. His name was Dr. Bradley Peterson, head of the intensive care unit at Rady Children's Hospital. And according to search warrants that were unsealed in September of 2011, Dr. Peterson told the police, quote, he did not feel the visible injuries were consistent with the cardiac arrest and brain swelling experienced by Shaknai. So the visible injuries that he saw were not consistent with the cardiac arrest and the brain swelling that he seen. Dr. Peterson expressed his concerns that suffocation may have occurred prior to Shaknai's fall. And this is the head of the pediatric ICU saying suffocation may have happened before the fall. That's not a passing observation. This is a doctor flagging a possible foul play in his year old's death. And it went even further than that. So according to Fox News reporting from 2012, the medical staff at the hospital was alarmed enough that they contacted CPS Child Protective Services, and CPS opened a probe into Max's death. According to Dina Shaknai, that probe was dropped after the medical examiner officially ruled Max's death an accident. So inside the system, in real time, multiple medical professionals were saying something doesn't add up. The medical examiner considered Dr. Peterson's concerns, but disagreed. The autopsy report concluded Max's injuries were consistent with an accidental neck injury sustained in the fall. That was the official call. But the doctors who actually treated him, they felt like this was not what happened. Investigators conducted forensic and toxicology testing. They searched for any sign that someone else may have been involved. And according to reports, they were unable to find any DNA at the scene other than Rebecca's. So no clear evidence of another person, which started pushing investigators into a different direction. Rebecca's family was just beginning to process the devastating news. Her sister Mary later described the moment she found out. She said her husband came to her work and told her they needed to talk privately. At first, she said that she was busy and asked if it could wait. When they stepped into her office and he told her what had happened, she lost consciousness. In the weeks that followed, investigators worked to reconstruct what they believed had happened. The autopsy became one of the most critical parts of the case, and almost immediately it raised more questions than answers. The official autopsy revealed that Rebecca had suffered four separate instances of head trauma. San Diego medical examiner Jonathan Lucas suggested the injuries could have occurred during the fall itself. Because Rebecca likely went over the balcony in a non vertical position, it's possible that she struck her head against parts of the structure on the way down. Another expert, Dr. Werner Spitz, a forensic pathologist who has consulted on some of the most high profile death investigations in US History, agreed that this was possible. He explained that when a body drops, it doesn't always fall in a straight, controlled line. It can swing or rotate, potentially making contact with nearby surfaces. But even he noted it was difficult to draw firm conclusions, especially without seeing the body in its original state before the wrist bindings were removed. Other experts said that explanation didn't hold up. Forensic consultant Dr. Maurice Godwin, who has a PhD in criminal psychology, strongly disagreed. He said the likelihood of hitting your head four separate times during a fall like that is extremely low. He called it highly unlikely. Rebecca's family pushed for a second autopsy. They brought in renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht to conduct an independent review. And his conclusions were very different. Dr. Wecht testified that fractures found in Rebecca's throat were not consistent with hanging. Instead, he believed those injuries were caused by manual strangulation, meaning pressure applied directly to the neck. He believed Rebecca's death was a homicide. An attorney representing Rebecca's family also stated that there were additional inaccuracies in the sheriff's investigation, including evidence the family argued suggested Rebecca may have been sexually assaulted before her death. If true, that completely changes the context of everything. The sheriff's department and medical examiner's office, for their part, have always maintained they found no evidence of sexual assault. As part of the investigation, police obtained Rebecca's phone records from Verizon and att. And they also took her Samsung Focus phone as evidence. And initially, investigators didn't attempt to power up or operate the cell phone, fearing they might overwrite evidence in its memory. They tried to determine whether forensic software was available for that specific model. Since they couldn't identify any, a detective eventually turned the phone on and conducted a manual search. Those records helped establish a timeline of her final hours. Between roughly 8pm and 10pm Rebecca was actively talking and texting with her older sister, Mary. During that conversation, she confirmed that Zena had made it home safely to Missouri at 10:48pm Rebecca received a text message from Nina Romano. This is the twin sister of Jonah's ex wife. And she said she wanted to come by the house and talk about Max's accident.

[Ricky]

Rebecca never responded, which that timing is pretty suspicious. I almost wonder if there's a way to check her phone to see if she was over there.

[Ashley]

Then Hours later, at 12:50am Rebecca checked her voicemail and listened to a message. So that makes things interesting. The records didn't show who left that message. Police later said it was related to Max's worsening condition, but they declined to confirm who sent it. Rebecca's sister Mary said investigators told her the message came from Jonah, but no one ever actually heard it because the voicemail was deleted. So one of the last communications Rebecca ever received is to this day, a black box. According to reports, investigators did not request at&t to retrieve the deleted messages from its servers.

[Ricky]

So by this point, the case has become deeply divided. On one side, investigators were leaning towards suicide. On the other, the family and a string of independent experts were pointing to the inconsistencies and injuries that just didn't add up.

[Ashley]

And then on September 2, 2011, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department officially ruled Rebecca Zaha's death a suicide. Their theory was that Rebecca had been overwhelmed with guilt over Max's accident and that she took her own life as a result. To support this, investigators created a video reenactment demonstrating how they believed Rebecca could have bound her own hands and her own feet before hanging herself. In forensic pathology, the act of a person binding their own hands or feet before a suicidal hanging is classified as an unusual or atypical presentation. Most large scale autopsy studies of hanging deaths estimate it occurs in less than 1 to 5% of all suicidal hangings. The limited data available also suggests a higher prevalence among adult males. And because it's so uncommon, its presence at a scene is a major red flag to investigators who must rule out homicide before confirming a suicide. Now, when bound limbs do show up in a suicide, forensic experts look for specific self binding characteristics. The knots are typically accessible to the victim, like tied in the front of the body or using a simple slip knot that can be tightened by pulling with the teeth. Self inflicted bindings are usually relatively loose compared to those applied by someone else. In the absence of struggle, marks, bruises or defensive injuries help coroners conclude the binding was self imposed. Now the thing is, this doesn't seem like the case here because the knots that were found on Rebecca's body, they were not simple slip knots that could be tightened with the teeth. Rebecca's hands were tied behind her back with a complex knot. At the civil trial, the Zaha family brought in a knot expert who testified the knots tied around Rebecca were consistent with nautical maritime knots. You know, the kind of knots that a sailor would use or a tugboat captain. And there was one other person in the mansion that night when Rebecca died, Adam Shaknai. He had flown in from Memphis a few hours earlier after hearing about his nephew's accident at the house. Well, Adam Shaknai is a tugboat captain. That is where we're going to leave it for this week. This is part one. Part two drops next week and we are going to get more of the details that came up in the family's fight to prove that what the sheriff called a suicide was something else entirely. Make sure you subscribe to Crime Salad wherever you're listening. So the moment that part two goes live, it lands right in your feed. Thank you so much for listening. Stay safe, everyone. Until next time.

[Mick Hunt]

Welcome to Mick Unplugged, the number one podcast for self improvement and modern leadership. I'm Mick Hunt, your host and I'm here to challenge your why and fuel your because. This is where leaders, entrepreneurs and go getters come to level up. Each week I bring you unfiltered conversations, game changing strategies, and the kind of motivation that transforms lives and legacies. I've learned from legends like Les Brown, Daymond John and Robert Irvine. And now I'm bringing their lessons along with mine straight to you. From modern leadership tips to creating unstoppable momentum. This is the podcast that redefines what's possible. Hit play, subscribe and join the millions who've made Mickham play their go to source for growth and greatness because your next breakthrough is just one episode away. This is Mick Unplugged, the voice and face of modern leadership, entrepreneur and self improvement. Let's get started.

[Ashley]

Oh, please, not that music. That music gives me nightmares from my childhood. Could we get something a little bit lighter?

[Ricky]

Some lighter music here?

[Ashley]

Are you a fan of true crime TV shows? And what about Unsolved Mysteries, the show that jump started all of our love of true crime. I'm Ellen Marsh. And I'm Joey Taranto and we host I think Not a true crime comedy podcast covering some of the wildest stories from your favorite true crime campy TV shows all the way to Unsolved Mysteries, baby.

[Ricky]

You will laugh, you will cry.

[Ashley]

You'll think about true crime in a whole new way. And you'll also ask yourself who gave these people mics? New episodes of I Think not are released every Wednesday, with bonus episodes out every Thursday on Patreon. And every Monday, you can listen to

[Ricky]

our True Crime rundown where we go

[Ashley]

over the top true crime headlines of the week. So come and join us wherever you listen to your podcasts.

[Unidentified True Crime Narrator]

There are vampires out there. They walk among you, shoulder to shoulder in the dark. Heading to work, heading home, going to the bar. It's a life just like anyone else's, and I have grown used to it. To the darkness, to the moon, to the taste of blood on my tongue. But vampires are dying out. We are a fading kind, and I am the first one created in so long. And that is a dangerous thing to be. Those who came before me, elders of all stripes, they do not want to see our kind gone. And they will do anything to keep their power. And for myself and for Grace, who created me. That is a sword that hangs above our heads. And the worst person of all carries our secret. And he will use it however he sees fit. Who do you look to when things are at their darkest? From the creators of Park Dil Haunt comes Woodbine, a podcast about monsters, dreams and changes, those you want and those you never saw. Coming Season 2 arrives September 24th. Distributed by Realm.