New mansion mystery death details from mother of Max Shacknai, boy who died at Coronado home

PARADISE VALLEY, AZ - The mother of Max Shacknai, the boy who died after a fall in a Coronado mansion last year, shares her story in the August issue of "Phoenix Magazine."

“My first wish is to have him back,” Dina Shacknai told the magazine. “My second wish is to have [Rebecca Zahau] back… to ask her what happened."

Police said 6-year-old Max Shacknai fell down the main staircase of the home last July in what appeared to be a tragic accident.

Max is the son of Jonah Shacknai, a Scottsdale businessman.

Two days after Max’s fall, Jonah’s girlfriend, Rebecca Zahau, took her own life, according to investigators.

Zahau was babysitting Max when the child fell. Zahau’s family insists she was murdered, but detectives refute such claims.

Dina believes there’s more to Max’s death, too.

“It’s still my job to find out what really happened to him. Isn’t it?” she said.

Craig Outhier, the writer, details how the Paradise Valley mother dressed her son in his favorite soccer uniform one last time before he passed away.

“She pulled the shorts over his legs, tied his cleats and used some gel to style his hair in the fauxhawk, he liked so much. She fell asleep next to him, and in the morning, for one dreamlike split-second, she forgot he’d ever been hurt," he wrote.

Dina also reveals to the magazine that she and Jonah agreed on certain rules for Rebecca regarding Max. She tells the Outhier that Rebecca was not allowed to attend school functions, not allowed to take Max across state lines, and not allowed to babysit him alone while other Zahau family members were present.

The August issue of “Phoenix Magazine” hits newsstands on July 19.