The CEO and creator behind the Beanie Babies brand fell victim to a suspected break-in at his Montecito, California home. This alleged burglary included a violent assault that has resulted in a woman being in a coma.

Deputies from Santa Barbara County received a call about a potential car theft or home invasion at approximately 4:30 p.m. on May 21, as reported by the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office.

When authorities arrived at the Montecito location, they discovered a woman outside who had suffered serious injuries from an assault. She was promptly taken to a nearby hospital, where she remains in a comatose state, according to officials.

The criminal complaint filed May 23 identified her as Linda Malek-Aslanian, 60. Media reports indicate she is a financial services expert who once worked for the hotels division of Ty Warner, the reclusive billionaire who is the CEO and sole owner of Ty Inc., a stuffed toy company known for the famous Beanie Babies.

With a net worth of $6 billion, Warner also owns a portfolio of luxury properties, including the Four Seasons in New York. In 2014, he was sentenced to probation for tax evasion after failing to report more than $24.4 million in income and evading nearly $5.6 million in taxes.

Warner, 80, was listed in the complaint as being home at the time of the incident, although police did not state that information. 

“Deputies learned that a male suspect was still inside the residence, but it was unclear if all occupants had safely escaped,” Santa Barbara deputies said on the day of the incident. “Additional deputies, along with allied agencies including CHP and the Santa Barbara Police Department, established a perimeter around the residence…Santa Barbara County Air Support also responded to the area to assist with observations overhead.”  

“While deputies attempted to determine if there were possible hostages, the Sheriff’s Office Special Enforcement Team and Crisis Negotiation Team responded with Bearcat armored rescue vehicles,” SBSD elaborated.  

It was later determined that all occupants had escaped the home and that the suspect, identified by authorities as Russell Maxwell Phay, had barricaded himself in an upstairs bathroom. Phay, a Nevada resident, attempted to flee by climbing out of a second-story window, but he was apprehended after jumping to the ground. 

The 42-year-old was booked for one misdemeanor (obstruction) and several felonies, including burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, battery with serious bodily injury and kidnapping. It is believed that the victims and the suspect were not known to each other. 

An SFGate column about a special court for veterans published in 2014 featured Phay, who said at the time that he was in the Army and trained as an infantry combat soldier; however, just as he was expecting to be deployed to Kuwait, his tour ended, and he was out of the military. 

“I am fully trained for combat,” he told the outlet. “I have been trained to eliminate you. I know that sounds crazy, but it’s true.” 

According to inmate search records, Phay remains in custody at the Southern Branch Jail in relation to the May 21 incident. He is being held without bail.