Crime & Safety

Police Say Shacknai Failed to Present New Evidence in Her Son's Death

Coronado police explained Tuesday why they will not re-open the case, the day after Max Shacknai's mother criticized the decision.

Coronado police have responded to , saying her team failed to present any new evidence that would persuade them to revisit the case.

The police, via a statement released Tuesday by the city, said they looked into the information provided by Shacknai for weeks and consulted with the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office.

Shacknai has alleged that experts she hired determined that , suffered his injuries at the hands of another. She wanted .

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Max died in July 2011, five days after he suffered head injuries in a fall at the Spreckels mansion, the oceanfront residence that was a summer home for his father, Jonah Shacknai.

“We feel there was insufficient information that would compel us to change the manner of death or conduct additional investigation at this time,” said Coronado Police Cmdr. Mike Lawton in the city's statement.

Find out what's happening in Coronadowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Police also said they notified Dina Shacknai of their decision Aug. 31. She released the information Monday via a web site dedicated to Max's memory on the same day .

Shacknai began publicly discussing her suspicions about the incident involving . Police met with her and her representatives to see the results compiled by her forensic experts.

The case gained notoriety last year because of , 32, whose body was found nude and bound outside the mansion two days after Max's fall. 

That case, investigated by the San Diego County Sheriffs Department, . The Zahau family, which also is set to appear on the upcoming Dr. Phil show, does not accept the ruling and maintains that Zahau was killed.  

They are seeking a new investigation as well, and have called on the state to re-open both cases.


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