Budget Rent a Car heiress assaulted and strangled during a California home invasion

U.S. newsBudget Rent a Car heiress assaulted and strangled during a California home invasionOn Thursday night, the alleged attackers broke into the home and choked the woman, who, according to property records, is identified as the daughter of a Budget Rent a Car founder.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00ShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 25, 2026, 1:02 PM EDTBy Francie EbertMargaux Mirkin, the 70-year-old heiress who’s father founded Budget Rent a Car, was the apparent victim of a home invasion on Thursday in which she was assaulted and strangled, according to police.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Officers arrived at her Hollywood Hills home in Los Angeles and learned that the attackers had left the woman inside the residence after allegedly smashing her jaw and choking her.Property records obtained by NBC4 confirmed Mirkin owns the residence.Although the full extent of the theft remains unclear, police said the suspects stole cash and jewelry from the home. Neighbors said some of the jewelry belonged to the woman’s late husband, who died in a house fire two years ago.After the incident, Kristen Stavola, executive director of We Are Laurel Canyon, spoke to NBC4.“She’s pretty shaken up, as anyone would be after being assaulted in your home and watching your valuables get stolen and driven away,” Stavola said.An individual who did not want to be identified said the street is “dark” and a “dead-end street.”“Not many people are on it, so of course it’s like the perfect street for a break-in,” the neighbor said.NBC4 reported that the robbers dropped a bag containing a large amount of jewelry while leaving the home. When a neighbor saw them and shined a flashlight in their direction, they took off.The police department’s Robbery-Homicide Division is now managing the investigation..ShareAdd NBC News to GoogleFrancie EbertFrancie Ebert is a news associate at NBC News Digital.