The founders of a California luxury clothing company were found shot dead outside their hillside home, while relatives described troubling events in the days leading up to the couple’s deaths.
Oakland police confirmed to News Outlet that Bryan Walker and Michelle Min were the two people found dead Oct. 2 in the 400 block of Panoramic Way. The husband and wife founded Bryn Walker, a women’s luxury apparel brand.
Michelle Min’s brother, Paul Min, told the Los Angeles Times that he believes Walker shot his wife before taking his own life. Police have not confirmed that account.
“This remains an active and ongoing investigation. No additional details are being provided at this time,” Oakland police told News Outlet.
Police vehicles were parked outside the Oakland home where Bryn Walker founders Bryan Walker and Michelle Min were found dead Oct. 2, 2026. (KTVU)
A bouquet and handwritten closure notice were displayed outside a Bryn Walker store after the luxury brand’s founders were found dead outside their Oakland home. (KTVU)
According to the outlet, Paul Min described a troubling deterioration in his brother-in-law’s condition after Walker allegedly lost millions of dollars through risky financial ventures.
Min described Walker as the “most honest, responsible, hardworking guy you have ever known” and said he could not reconcile the suspected violence with the man he had known and loved for nearly 40 years, the outlet reported.
An aerial view shows the Panoramic Hill neighborhood, where Bryn Walker founders Bryan Walker and Michelle Min were found dead outside their home Oct. 2, 2026. (KTVU)
Min told the outlet that he and his sister had agreed Walker needed psychiatric care after he allegedly suggested that the three of them “end things.”
Michelle Min planned to have her husband admitted for psychiatric treatment on the day the couple was shot, her brother told the outlet.
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A police officer handles yellow tape near the Oakland scene where Bryan Walker and Michelle Min were found dead Oct. 2, 2026. (KTVU)
Authorities have not verified the family’s statements about Walker’s mental health, alleged financial losses or a potential motive.
Berkeley officers arrived at Panoramic Way shortly after 10:30 a.m. Friday and found a man and a woman with gunshot wounds, KTLA reported. Officers performed lifesaving measures until paramedics reached the scene, but both victims were pronounced dead there.
Oakland police, who are leading the investigation, recovered a firearm. Investigators had not ruled out a murder-suicide and had not determined who fired the weapon, the Los Angeles Times reported.
A Bryn Walker store is shown in Berkeley, California. The brand’s founders, Bryan Walker and Michelle Min, were found dead outside their Oakland home Oct. 2, 2026. (Google Maps)
The couple met in Kansas during the 1980s, later moved to California after following Min’s parents and eventually established their clothing business in Berkeley, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Bryn Walker has operated from Berkeley since 1992 and designs and manufactures its clothing in the San Francisco Bay Area, according to the company’s website. The brand says it has six company-owned stores and sells its products through about 1,000 boutiques across the country.
The company’s store directory lists two Berkeley locations and another shop in Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts, on Martha’s Vineyard.
Police gather outside the Oakland home where Bryn Walker founders Bryan Walker and Michelle Min were found dead Oct. 2, 2026. (KTVU)
News Outlet also reached out to Berkeley police for comment.
Anyone with information, video or photos related to the case is asked to contact Oakland police’s Homicide Section at 510-238-3821, its tip line at 510-238-7950 or email cidvideos@oaklandca.gov.
