The founders of a California luxury fashion label were found fatally shot outside their hillside home, while relatives described disturbing developments in the days leading up to the couple’s deaths.
Oakland police confirmed to News Media that Bryan Walker and Michelle Min were the people found dead Oct. 2 in the 400 block of Panoramic Way. The couple founded the women’s luxury apparel company Bryn Walker.
Michelle Min’s brother, Paul Min, told the Los Angeles Times that he believes Walker killed his sister 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 Media.
Police vehicles sit 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 placed outside a Bryn Walker store after the luxury clothing brand’s founders were found dead outside their Oakland home. (KTVU)
According to the outlet, Paul Min said his brother-in-law had experienced a troubling decline after allegedly losing millions of dollars in high-risk financial ventures.
Min described Walker as the “most honest, responsible, hardworking guy you have ever known,” saying he struggled to connect the suspected violence with the man he had known and loved for nearly 40 years, the outlet reported.
An aerial view of the Panoramic Hill neighborhood, where Bryn Walker founders Bryan Walker and Michelle Min were found dead outside their home Oct. 2, 2026. (KTVU)
Min said he and his sister had agreed that Walker needed psychiatric care after he allegedly suggested that the three of them “end things.”
Michelle Min intended to have her husband admitted for psychiatric treatment on the day of the shooting, her brother told the outlet.
A police officer handles yellow tape near the scene where Bryan Walker and Michelle Min were found dead in Oakland on Oct. 2, 2026. (KTVU)
Authorities have not verified the family’s statements about Walker’s mental health, financial losses or a potential motive.
Berkeley officers arrived at Panoramic Way shortly after 10:30 a.m. Friday and found a man and woman with gunshot wounds, KTLA reported. Officers performed lifesaving measures until paramedics reached the scene, but the couple was 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 storefront 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 followed Min’s parents to California and ultimately built their Berkeley-based clothing business, 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 supplies 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 Media 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.