Page 8 - Novem December 2016

A Hanging at the Beach House: Female Suicide or Murder?

psychological autopsies on behalf of a medical examiner’s office agree that women
don’t usually disfigure themselves in their suicides (i.e., gun shots to the face

or slashed wrists), which makes hangings or intentional drug overdoses as their
methods of choice.

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And what about the cryptic note painted on the door, in Rebecca’s own hand? Why E
was it not more explicit? Why did she write it in such a way that we can’t interpret C

it fully as to what she was feeling, or whether she blamed herself for little Max’s E
injuries and subsequent death, or why she chose to kill herself in such a provocative P

way?
T

Bill Gore (who was the Special Agent in Charge of the San Diego FBI field office I
prior to his election as San Diego County Sheriff in 2006) said that he reviewed a O

2008 Georgetown University School of Medicine study that said the reasons why N
people committed suicide in the nude was as a way to atone for their actions, as a

cleansing ritual, or as a self-abasement for their guilt.

The suicidal dead take their reasons with them. Rebecca Zahau had her reasons
and while they are far from satisfying for her family, they are what they are.
There is nothing at this point that suggests the Sheriff’s Department botched the

investigation. Their work was thorough and exact, not just because it initially
looked like a murder, but also because of the high-profile nature of the location, the

homeowner, and the previous incident involving the little boy.

There is nothing to connect Rebecca’s brother or her boyfriend to her death, or any
other known or unknown person. There is no forensically-skilled maniac roaming

the streets of Coronado, using suicide scenarios to cover up his homicides. She is
dead at her own hand and that is a tragedy.

In 1994, Dr. Steve Albrecht, PHR, CPP, co-wrote Ticking Bombs, one of the first business
books on workplace violence. He holds a doctorate in Business Administration, an M.A. in
Security Management, a B.S. in Psychology, and a B.A. in English. He worked for the San

Diego Police Department from 1984 to 1999. His police books include Contact & Cover;
Streetwork; Surviving Street Patrol; and Tactical Perfection for Street Cops. He can be reached
at drsteve@drstevealbrecht.com

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