Couple Behind Women’s Luxury Fashion Brand Found Dead - Newsweek

Bryn Walker co-founders Bryan Walker, 61, and Michelle Min, 63, were found dead from gunshot wounds outside their Oakland Hills home on Friday, and a police investigation into the circumstances is underway.

Authorities have not determined who fired the weapon, and the deaths have shocked family and neighbors connected to the couple. Newsweek contacted the Oakland Police Department for comment via email outside regular office hours on Monday.

What started in 1992 as a small Berkeley retail business has grown into a nationally distributed women's clothing brand over several decades. According to the company's website, Bryn Walker operates six company-owned stores and sells through roughly 1,000 boutiques across the United States.

Police found Walker and Michelle Min outside their home in the Panoramic Hill area on October 2 after reports of gunshots in the neighborhood near the University of California, Berkeley.

Responding officers attempted lifesaving measures before paramedics arrived, but both were pronounced dead at the scene. Oakland police, which is leading the investigation, said a firearm was recovered and that detectives have not ruled out a murder-suicide.

A neighbor who heard gunfire reportedly discovered the couple outside the residence. Police have said they are not looking for additional suspects and do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the community.

Paul Min, Michelle Min's brother, told the Los Angeles Times that he believed Walker shot his sister before taking his own life.

But he also said he was struggling to reconcile that belief with the man he had known for almost four decades, describing his brother-in-law as "honest," "responsible" and "hardworking."

According to Paul Min, Walker had recently lost millions of dollars through risky financial decisions and had become increasingly depressed. He said the financial setbacks appeared to have taken a significant toll on Walker's mental health.

He also said Walker had previously suggested that they—Paul Min, Michelle Min and Walker—should "end things," prompting concerns about his well-being.

Those concerns had escalated in the days before the shooting, Paul Min said.

He also said he and his sister believed Walker needed psychiatric treatment and had discussed having him institutionalized. Paul Min said he later found a note listing treatment facilities and speculated Walker may have learned of the plan. He added that he did not know whether that played a role in what happened.

Michelle Min, meanwhile, appeared more optimistic about the family's changing financial circumstances, her brother said. He recalled that she had long expressed interest in leaving the Bay Area.

The couple met in the Midwest during the 1980s before eventually settling in California.

Michelle Min studied fine arts at Washington University in St. Louis, while Walker attended Iowa State University, where he studied philosophy.

After opening a small retail store in Berkeley, the business evolved as Michelle Min began designing her own clothing and accessories. Additional stores followed, along with manufacturing and wholesale operations.

Paul Min said his sister played a central role in helping to raise him after the family immigrated from Korea to the United States in 1977.

With their parents working multiple jobs, he said Michelle Min often stepped into a caregiving role, helping with meals, school responsibilities and medical appointments.

He also said his sister and Walker cared for their aging parents through serious illnesses and remained by his side when he was diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer.

The couple's miniature Australian shepherd, Pip, was at the home when they died and is now being cared for by a friend, according to Paul Min.

Speaking with ABC7 News Bay Area, Berkeley resident Janice Thomas, who attended a vigil for the couple though did not know them directly, said of the community gathering: "We wanted to be together, and we're from different parts of the hill. And again, we don't even necessarily know Bryan and Michelle, but we felt it."

"We talked to each other about just how deeply unsettling it was," she added.

The Oakland Police Department has not announced any conclusions about the case and says the investigation remains active.

Authorities are asking anyone with information, photographs or video related to the incident to contact Oakland police investigators.

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide or is in emotional distress, help is available through the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Matthew Cannon and Shakeema Edwards.