Mariah

On July 11, 2011, inside a historic oceanfront mansion in Coronado, California, a 6 year old boy fell from a second floor landing. His name was Max. His father was a wealthy pharmaceutical executive who owned the mansion. Max had been in the care of his father's girlfriend, 32 year old Rebecca Zahau, when he fell. She was born in Burma, had built a new life in America, and had been living with Max's father in the mansion. Max was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Two days later, early on the morning of July 13, the father's brother, who was staying in the guesthouse, called 911. He said he'd found Rebecca hanging from a second floor balcony, and had cut her down. When deputies arrived, what they found was horrifying. Rebecca was naked. Her ankles were bound. Her wrists were tied behind her back. She had been gagged. In the bedroom, a message had been painted in black on a door. "She saved him can you save her" Max died a few days later. Two months after that, the sheriff announced his conclusion. Max's fall was an accident. Rebecca's death was a suicide. Investigators said she was distraught over Max, and that she could have tied herself up before going over the balcony. They even demonstrated how. Her family was stunned. They said Rebecca would never do that. Her sister said the handwriting on the door didn't look like Rebecca's. The family sued the man who reported finding her. In 2018, a civil jury in San Diego agreed with them. It found him responsible for Rebecca's death and awarded more than $5 million. But the verdict was later wiped out in a settlement. He has always said he's innocent. The sheriff reviewed the case again and stood by the ruling. The medical examiner refused to change it. The state attorney general declined to reopen it. No one has ever faced criminal charges. 15 years later, Rebecca Zahau's death is still officially a suicide. Her family still asks how a woman tied her own hands behind her back.