asks the attorney general to review the investigation, "nightline" has the very latest. dadchelor parties. at one last bash before the little bundle of joy arrives has become the rage for fathers to be. and squirt no more. for anyone who has ever struggled and lost to the most diabolically packaged product of all time a new day is at hand. we'll show you the ketchup revolution. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," september 20th, 2011. >> good evening, i'm bill weir. the setting was idyllic. a private mansion in exclusive core gnat toe, california, right across the bay from san diego. but the scene there, horrific. hanging from a balcony, a young, nude woman, bound and gagged who

would be identified as the girlfriend as the mansion owner. her death ruled a suicide. but tonight, her family disagrees with that ruling and speaks out to abc's elizabeth vargas. >> reporter: in the ten weeks since rebecca zahau was found hanging from a noose at this estate, the mustry has only deepened. she was the girlfriend of jonah shacknai, the millionaire ceo of a pharmaceutical company. her body found hanging, her arms and legs bound. a t-shirt stuffed in her mouth, completely naked. her family believes she was murdered. but authorities have insisted there was no foul play. >> our office concluded that the cause of death was hanging and the manner of death was suicide. >> reporter: police made a video tape with a woman re-enacting how you would kind your own hands. >> the person depicted in this video is roughly of the same size as rebecca. >> it still hasn't really sunk

in. and i still think when the phone rings that it could be her on the other end. >> reporter: rebecca's sister, mary, struggles to accept the loss and refuses to accept the suicide ruling. what did you find troubling about the circumstances surrounding your sister's death? what doesn't add up for you? >> it doesn't add up from day one. >> reporter: law enforcement authorities say the suicide was prompted by a tragic accident just two days earlier, july 11th, when shacknai's 6-year-old son max fell down the stairs in the mansion. rebecca had been babysitting. she called her sister soon after. >> she said, i was in the bathroom and i heard this long crash and she said, i came out and saw that max was on the floor. she sounded upset but not frantic,hysterical. >> reporter: mary's husband doug spoke to rebecca the next day when the little boy was in critical condition in the hospital. >> i told her, it's not your fault, you know, don't blame

yourself. and she's like, no i don't, i don't. i just have to be there for jonah. >> reporter: that night, mary had what would be her last conversation with her sister. they spoke about max's condition. >> she said, you know, it is very hopeful, so keep praying, because things are looking hopeful. >> reporter: and otherwise it was a completely normal conversation? she sounded just like herself? >> yes. founded, because we were talking about thanksgiving, we were talking about christmas. >> reporter: but investigators say at 12:50 a.m., rebecca checked her voice mail and received the grim message that max would not survive. >> rebecca received news regarding max's grave condition at about ten minutes to 1:00 in the morning. she made the decision to take her own life. >> reporter: leading to questions about her mental state prior to the accident. >> she didn't have depression, she doesn't have any psychological problem, she's never been diagnosed with one. >> reporter: a message scrawled

in black paint on the bedroom door has led to only more confusion. >> she saved him, can he save her? >> reporter: what do you make of that message? >> to be honest with you, for the life of me, it does not make sense. >> reporter: can you imagine your sister writing such a cryptic thing? >> no. >> reporter: do you think there was a rush to judgment in this case by the police? >> a horrible rush to judgment. >> reporter: the zahau's attorney, ann bremner, says the case should be reopened. she hired dr. secyril wecht to review the autopsy report. >> i've done hundreds of you a top tips on women that have committed suicide and i can tell you, i can't even think of one who did this nude. you i'm not telling you that it never happens but it is rare. women have a sense of propriety, of decorum, of dignity, even when they are committing suicide. >> reporter: you say your sister would never, ever, she was very modest that way, would never have been naked? >> no.

not in public, no. >> that's odd for becky. >> reporter: and wecht is skeptical about other details of the death. >> she has to get up on top of the railing and then she has to fling herself over. did she do that head first and then tumble and turn around? did she go over feet first? i don't know. i would like to see re-enactments. to my knowledge, she was not a member of cirque du soleil. >> reporter: but roy black, trial attorney, says he reviewed the video tape and the documents relating to the case. >> the only possible conclusion is that she committed suicide. the chances of somebody wrapping a rope and her neck, hands and feet, dragging her up to the bedroom and throwing her over the balcony would her fighting back? without pa single piece of evidence? with no evidence of a struggle? i think that's virtually impossible. >> reporter: san diego chd y di bill gore says the conclusion is the result of a thorough investigation.

>> science doesn't lie. and we relied on the science in this case. anybody committing suicide naked is unusual but not unprecedented. and one of the primary reasons for committing suicide naked is extreme guilt. i think we have that, both those in this case. >> reporter: if she didn't commit suicide, who killed her? >> that's not really the question right now, i don't think. i'm not here to point fingers at anybody. or even a finite group of suspects. but reopen it and see where it goes. it may lead to nothing. i don't think it's going to lead to a suicide. >> reporter: shacknai was at his son's death bed when rebecca died. he wrote a letter to the california attorney general asking her to review the case. "i have no reason to doubt the authorities' findings. i was and can't to be per swalded that the announced conclusions were sound, scientific and supported by a thorough and competent investigation. however, i believe the only way to achieve some dignified

resolution and to finally bring closure to these terrible tragedies is for the attorney general's office to evaluate the methods and conclusions of the authorities in this case." he adds, "my deepest sympathy continues to go out to rebecca's family and their limitless pain." what's the one thing you would like people to know about your sister as they hear this story? >> i don't want people to remember her as a millionaire's girlfriend. she is rebecca zahau and she is becky and she is her own person. >> reporter: for "nightline" this is elizabeth vargas in new york. >> and today, jonah shacknai wrote a letter to "nightline" saying his goal is to, quote, finally bring closure to these terrible tragedies. coverage of this story, more facts, can be found on our website, abcnews.com/nightline. coming up next, the latest trend for fathers to be.

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>> announcer: "nightline" continues from new york city with bill weir. >> fatherhood. it's a right of passage, it's a life-changing miracle. and for an increasing number of men, it's a good excuse to get loaded with your buddies. they're called dadchelor parties. one final blowout before all the ripe diapers and sleepless nights. but how, you might wonder, does this brilliant concept go over with the very pregnant lady of the house? abc's t.j. winick investigates. ♪ >> reporter: you might say it's dave's last night of freedom.

that his life is about to change forever. yep, it's one of those nights where things could get a little out of control. the ha"the hangover," anyone? >> road trip! >> reporter: only this is not dave's bachelor party. it's his dad-chelor party. you see, leslileslie, dave's girlfriend of eight years is pregnant with a by by girl they're going to name olivia. >> i heard the new trend is daddy showers. guys get together, they buy diapers and drink beer. i said that seems kind of classless. let's do this big. >> reporter: with just a few hours nf the boys show up, dave and his best friend rich are making some last minute stops. dave wants to look his best for the big night. truth be told, leslie is not so hot on the whole idea and she's not shy about it. >> honestly, i thought it was stupid.

honestly. i still am not a huge fan of it but guess i'm getting diapers out of it? >> yes, you are. >> so -- >> reporter: the diapers in exchange for beer is a dadchelor party staple known as the diaper keg. >> i let everybody know what brand you wanted, what sizes you wanted. this is all for you. >> i'm sure it is. >> reporter: sure enough, dave's friends show up to the preparty armed not with budweiser or coors, but with hug guys and pampers. >> wow! wow! >> reporter: had you ever heard of a dadchelor party? >> no, this is the first one. >> reporter: it may be their first, but according to the preg man si -- pregnancy website thebump.com, it's not going to be the last. >> 1 in 5 dads are attending or having a party thrown in their honor.

>> reporter: not surprisingly, the trend has already been poked fun at, like this parody from life lifeofdad.com. >> dadchelor party! yeah! >> one, two, three -- >> reporter: far be it from me to question the need for one last three-baby bust out. as a first time father, i, like so many of today's dads, waited a little longer to become a parent. >> they have babies later in life and they know what they're going to be giving up. those late mornings, sleeping in, those late nights going out and they do need to prep themselves for a big life change. >> yuh-oh. >> reporter: at 8:00 p.m. sharp, it's all aboard the party bus. what type of advice will you try and give dave tonight? >> these nights are going to be few and far between. >> got to enjoy it. >> reporter: the crew even

including a few girlfriends. they're headed to mohegan sun casino for a night of gambling and dancing. at the nightclub, dave is treated like a v.i.p. >> my man dave here is going to be having a baby girl in about four weeks. >> this is my cousin, it's okay. >> reporter: next, it's off to the blackjack table. >> come on! my baby needs shoes. >> reporter: in the dadchelor wins big. $3,000. >> i feel like i'm going to have to buy something really nice for both leslie and olivia. >> by the time the party wraps up at 4:00 a.m., he sounds like a man ready to settle down. >> guys, go home. don't wake the neighbors. >> the next morning, dave knows just what to do with his winnings. >> monday, i'm going to go buy an engagement ring. she gave me the opportunity to go out with the boys so, i want to do the engagement right. i want to make it special. >> reporter: sure enough, he

popped the question later that week, which begs another question -- do you think you'll need a bachelorparty? >> i think every guy needs a bachelor party to send him off. i never want to rule something like that out. >> reporter: not a surprise, really. after all, even "the hangover" had a sequel. so, consider this part one? >> yeah, yeah, that's a good way to look at it. part one. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm t.j. winick in connecticut. big! big. big. big, big. big, big. big, big, big. big, big. big, big. big. ♪ big big-big -big. -big! [ cheers and applause ] ♪ big-big-big -big, big. -big! -big! -♪ big -big. big, big, big. big, big, big. small. big, big, big, big. small. [ male announcer ] the space-saving, eco-friendly, totally unique smart. unbig. uncar. ♪

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inne vags has erased much inconvenience from modern life. we brought plumbing indoors, remote controls, we even have little wheels on our luggage now. so why has it taken so long to improve the ketchup packet? such are the questions that plague the mind of abc's john berman. here he is with tonight's "sign of the times." >> reporter: the economy is in shambles. the middle east in turmoil a satellite about to strike our planet. but there is reason for hope. a scientific break through so momento momentous, so ingenius, it could alter the course of history as we know it. a new ketchup packet. do you feel the earth move? a new ketchup packet!

because those old ketchup things were charter members in the pantheon of pain in the neck packaging. just look at our intern. you needed the strength of an ox, the dexterity of an olympian to pry them open. and if you did manage it, probably with help from your teeth? your we ward? a blotch of red slime on your shirt. it could go with the sugar you spilled on yourself from those little packs, too. now try opening it when opening a car, where we eat so many of our fries anyway. the difficulty level rises to 6.0. we open doors, we open stores, we open meetings. but when it comes to opening stuff, the olds are stacked against us. that painful pantheon includes everything from sugar to ketchup to condoms. remember seinfeld? >> i tried to tear it from the side. i can't get a good grip here. you have to do it like a bag of chips. >> give it to me. >> too late. >> reporter: embarrassing, but at least george didn't hurt

himself, which is lucky, compared to those suffering from all that plastic clam shell toy and gadget packaging. did you know that the cob schumer product safety commission actually says 6,000 americans go to the emergency room every year with injuries from trying to slice that stuff apart? this is a ghost from my christmas past. a painful humiliating christmas past as i tried to open a digital recorder. it's for ages 8 and up. i just get in there above the age limit. it's sealed in plastic designed by has sachlt this packaging would survive a nuclear explosion. 6,000 emergency room visits for this stuff! there are no records for the health risks of those ketchup pacts, despite the countless fake injuries they have aided in films like dumb a"dumb and dumb" but with the new ones, designed by heinz, you have two

opposites. it holds more, do you don't have to open as many to begin with. this might be the answer to everything. the cotton begin, the lightbulb, the ipod -- and new ketchup pact packets if we can do this, there is hope for the economy, the middle east and other stuff. >> the condom killed me. >> reporter: i'm john berman for "nightline" in new york. >> thank you for watching abc news tonight. hope you check in with "good morning america." george stephanopoulos has an interview with mahmoud ahmadinejad and his visit to the u.n. we'll see you tomorrow. >> dicky: up next on an all-new "jimmy kimmel live" -- simon cowell. >> jimmy: you think i've had work done? >> yeah. >> jimmy: i don't even do work. the whole kardashian clan came out to support rob. there was so many in the