Rebecca Nalepa, 32, was discovered at the home of her boyfriend, Jonah Shacknai, chairman and chief executive of Medicis Pharmaceuticals Corp., an Arizona company that makes acne and facial wrinkle treatments.
Investigators have not determined if Nalepa was a crime victim and have not ruled out suicide, said San Diego County sheriff’s Capt. Tim Curran. He refused to comment on the evidence.
“This is a very bizarre death, there’s no doubt about it,” Curran said at a news conference. “There is roughly 200 years of experience in the sheriff’s homicide unit, and they all agree these are very unusual circumstances.”
Shacknai’s brother, Adam, called 911 Wednesday to report the woman appeared to be dead, Curran said.
The brother was staying in a mansion guesthouse. Jonah Shacknai was not at home.
Curran said sheriff’s investigators have not established any connection between the woman’s death and a serious injury at the home two days earlier to Jonah Shacknai’s six-year-old son with his ex-wife.
On Monday, paramedics found the boy was not breathing and did not have a pulse after falling down some stairs, said Coronado Police Chief Louis Scanlon.
The boy was being treated at a hospital. Hospital spokesman Carlos Delgado declined to comment Thursday on his condition.
“At that time, and at this time, we have no information that would lead us to believe that this is anything other than a tragic accident with the child,” Scanlon said.
Scanlon said a woman at the home called authorities when the boy fell, but he didn’t know if the caller was Nalepa.
Jonah Shacknai, 54, founded Medicis and has been chairman and chief executive since 1988.
