Reports mixed over death of Valley CEO's son

SCOTTSDALE, AZ - A death mystery with ties to a Scottsdale CEO is growing.

News reports from San Diego surfaced Saturday that the 6-year-old son of Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp. Chairman Jonah Shacknai has died. ABC15 has not been able to confirm those reports. Police will only say they have not been told the child has died.

San Diego TV station XETV claimed sources close to the case said Max Shacknai is on life support and "brain dead."

Coronado Police say Max was taken to the hospital Monday not breathing, and with no pulse, after falling down the main staircase of his father Jonah’s mansion is Coronado, Calif.

At the time of the accident, Max was being looked after by Shacknai’s girlfriend, Rebecca Zahau.

On Wednesday , Zahau was found dead, hanging from a balcony outside the mansion, naked with her hands and feet tied.

That incident still has investigators baffled. Investigators are not sure if Zahou, 32, killed herself, or was murdered according to San Diego County sheriff's Capt. Tim Curran. He declined to comment on the evidence.

"This is a very bizarre death. There's no doubt about it,” Capt. Curran said. "The scene was pretty suspicious. We are not ready to determine whether this was a suicide, or a criminal act."

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

Shacknai is the chairman and chief executive of Medicis Pharmaceuticals Corp. in Scottsdale.

Whether Zahau's death is related to what happened to Max, Shacknai's son from a previous marriage, Curran said sheriff's office is still investigating.

"Right now, we do not see any connection between the two incidents."

Police have not named any suspects, but say they are talking to everybody.

The mansion is just one Shacknai owns. The former Spreckels mansion was selling for nearly $17 million a few years ago. Aside from the California mansion where the incidents happened, Shacknai also has a home here in Paradise Valley.

Police will not say if Shacknai was here in the Valley, or in California when the incidents occurred.