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Mother: Son's California mansion death no accident

The mother of 6-year-old Max Shacknai believes her son was slain inside his millionaire father's Coronado, Calif., mansion last summer and wants police to find out who did it.

"He was a victim of assault and a victim of homicide," Dina Shacknai told NBC News on Thursday. "Even though nothing will bring my only child Maxie back, I owe it to him, as his mother, to make sure the true facts of his death are known."

Dina Shacknai is at odds with the conclusion of Coronado police, who have called Max's death a tragic accident. Police say the boy fell over a railing and tumbled down the stairs at his father's historic John D. Spreckels mansion on July 11, 2011. He struck the carpeted floor face first, fracturing his forehead, police said. He was not breathing and did not have a pulse when paramedics found him.

Read the entire NBCNEWS.com story here.

Tags: crime, people

1 member likes this

Comment by Laurie McCray on August 13, 2012 at 9:15am: I believe that the girlfriend, Rebecca, was murdered! It's amazing what money can buy these days!!!

Comment by jimbolaya on August 13, 2012 at 9:53am: It's just ridiculous. First the child dies, and then the girlfriend is hanging naked with hands and feet tied, but nothing was unnatural? Who hangs themselves naked? Isn't a little difficult to tie your hands behind your back? Is that the normal way people hang themselves? I'm not sure why the FBI hasn't taken over this case.

Comment by Maureen (Rutherford) Nieland on August 13, 2012 at 2:12pm: This is so very much a "Cover Up"... the whole thing. You don't need to read "True Crime" books to see this.

There are two individual incidents there. Do peoples deaths mean so little? That after awhile this will all go quiet and people will stop talking about it? I guess that's the "Norm". I agree the FBI should have been in on this immediately. There has been so much evidence destroyed now, it would of course be difficult, but NOT unsolvable. This is sooooooo sad for all family members. For Maxies mom and dad and for Rebecca's family..

I know everyone is still shaking their heads on this balony they call a suicide...If it wasn't so sad it would be laughable...

Comment by Jeanette C Aguilar on August 14, 2012 at 9:31am: I think something is very much amiss and being covered up someway somehow. I hope that someone will get to the bottom of this mystery somehow someway.

Comment (keep it clean & on topic)