Break-in at Beanie Babies billionaire Ty Warner's California mansion leaves woman in coma

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(Left) The scene outside Ty Warner's Montecito mansion following the break-in on May 21, 2025. Photo courtesy Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office; Right) Ty Warner in Chicago on Oct. 2, 2013. / Photo courtesy Anthony Souffle/Chicago Tribune/Tribune

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SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - A man has been arrested in connection with the brutal attack on a woman inside the California mansion of Beanie Babies tycoon Ty Warner during a violent break-in.

What we know:

According to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office, the incident happened around 4:30 p.m. in a private residence located in the 1000 block of Fairway Road in Montecito.

Deputies responded to the home on a call reporting a possible vehicle theft or home invasion robbery in progress. A criminal complaint filed by the Santa Barbara District Attorney's office listed Warner as the homeowner.

At the scene, deputies contacted the victim outside the home. She was taken to a local hospital for treatment of "severe injuries."

According to officials, the suspect, 43-year-old Russell Maxwell Phay from Nevada, was somehow able to gain access to the home, where he assaulted the woman identified in the complaint as "L. Malek-Aslanian."

He then barricaded himself inside an upstairs bathroom, where he attempted to escape by climbing outside a window and jumping to the ground. Responding deputies took him into custody. 

He was booked for multiple felony charges, including burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, battery with serious bodily injury, and kidnapping. He is being held on $100 million bail.

According to the complaint, Warner was home during the attack. 

At this time, investigators do not believe the victim or suspect knew each other. 

What we don't know:

The victim's condition is unknown. 

It's unclear if Warner, who was at home during the attack, was injured. 

The backstory:

Warner, whose net worth is an estimated $6 billion, according to Forbes, is the founder and CEO of Ty Inc. The company is best known for introducing the popular Beanie Babies to the world in the 1990s. 

Warner later sold Beanie Babies and used the profits to expand his hotel portfolio, including the Four Seasons in New York. His resort in Mexico, Las Ventanas al Paraiso, rents out its Ty Warner Mansion for $35,000 a night.

In 2014, Warner was sentenced to two years of probation and 500 hours of community service after pleading guilty in Oct. 2013 to one felony count of tax evasion. Federal prosecutors appealed the decision, requesting Warner serve jail time. That appeal was rejected.