The 32-year-old girlfriend of a prominent Arizona CEO who died Wednesday was discovered hanging naked from a balcony at his California home with a rope around her neck and her hands and feet bound. Hit the jump to read the rest of the story.
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Authorities identified the woman as Rebecca Nalepa and said an autopsy was being performed to determine the cause of death. The sheriff’s department in Coronado, Calif., said they were not yet ready to call Nalepa’s death a crime or a suicide, according to the Union-Tribune.
At the time of her death, Nalepa was dating Jonah Shacknai, the founder, chairman and CEO of Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp., the manufacturer of the popular cosmetic wrinkle filler Restylane, a competitor of Botox.
Shacknai lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., where his company is headquartered. Nalepa was found at his 27-room California mansion, which is just a few feet from the historic Hotel del Coronado.
Shacknai’s brother discovered Nalepa hanging from the balcony early Thursday morning and called 911. Shacknai was not in the home when she was discovered.
Nalepa was treated at the scene, but died in the courtyard before she could be transported to a hospital.
MyFoxPhoenix.com reported that Shacknai was visiting his son in a San Diego hospital Thursday morning, where the six-year-old is in a coma after a fall at the California home Monday. Neighbors said the boy fell from a balcony.
“Right now, we don’t see any connection between the two incidents,” Coronado Sheriff Capt. Tim Curran said Thursday, according to the Union-Tribune.
San Diego County Sheriff’s Department detectives, who said that Nalepa died in a suspicious and violent way, are canvassing the neighborhood where Shacknai’s California mansion is located.
His company issued a statement saying that it was deeply saddened to learn about this tragic incident and that the family is requesting privacy right now.
Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp. shares were down 3.8 percent to $38.55 in Thursday trading.
