Shacknai’s Girlfriend Dies in Mansion’s Courtyard: MyFoxBOSTON.com
The woman found dead at the Spreckels Mansion in Coronado was the 32-year-old girlfriend of the home’s current owner, the San Diego County Sheriff”s Department announced late Wednesday.
The body of Rebecca Nalepa was found in the courtyard of the 27-room mansion on Oceanside Boulevard on Wednesday morning. No cause of death has been announced, but the Sheriff’s Department labeled it suspicious and violent.
The owner of the home is Jonah Shacknai, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp., based in Scottsdale, Ariz. Among the company’s products are an acne drug and a competitor of Botox.
The company issued a statement Wednesday that the Shacknai family is “deeply saddened to learn of a tragic incident” at the home.
The Arizona Republic newspaper quoted the mother of Shacknai’s ex-wife as saying the couple’s 6-year-old son was seriously injured in a fall Monday from the grand staircase at the mansion and is in the hospital.
Nancy Romano told the newspaper that her daughter, Dina, and Shacknai have been continuously at the hospital with the boy. Romano’s daughter also lives in Coronado.
The Sheriff’s Department homicide squad is handling the death case under an agreement with the Coronado Police Department.
Read the entire LA Times story here.
Statement from Medicis Pharmaceutical: The Medicis family is deeply saddened to learn of a tragic incident at a California property owned by Jonah Shacknai. Our thoughts are with Jonah and his family and ask that the family’s privacy be respected during this difficult period. At this time, the Company has no further comment.
