Sheila von Wiese-Mack's Body Found in Bloody Suitcase in Bali; Teen Daughter and Boyfriend Arrested
Sheila von Wiese-Mack's body was found naked and crammed into a suitcase in the back of a taxi in Bali Tuesday, according to reports. The woman's own daughter, Heather Mack, and her boyfriend, Tommy Schaefer, were arrested Wednesday in connection with the gruesome murder.
Sheila von Wiese-Mack, widow to famous jazz and classical composer James L. Mack, had been on vacation at the St. Regis Hotel in Nusa Dua with her 19-year-old daughter when she was killed. She had been beaten to death with a blunt object, stuffed in a suitcase, and then Heather and her 21-year-old boyfriend left the suitcase in a taxi in front of the hotel.
The 62-year-old was "hit by a blunt object and the blows were concentrated on the face and head," Ida Bagus Putu Alit, a forensic expert with knowledge of the autopsy, told Reuters. "There were signs of a struggle by the victim as there were bruises on her arms and some fingers were broken."
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"The body was wrapped in a hotel bedsheet and tied up with duct tape," Inspector Djoko Hari Utomo added. "There were blood stains all over the sheet."
The couple left the suitcase in the cab and told the driver, I Ketut Wirjana, they were checking out. After two hours they had not returned, but when the suitcase was removed from the trunk, it was leaking blood. The cab driver drove the suitcase to the local police station, where the body was discovered.
Surveillance cameras at the St. Regis hotel showed Heather and her boyfriend escaping through the beaches at the back of the hotel. CCTV also captured the teen and von Wiese-Mack having an argument Monday night.
The couple was found at a hotel about six miles from St. Regis. Police discovered them sleeping and arrested them. They claimed that a violent gang had kidnapped and killed von Wiese-Mack but that they had escaped; they have refused to say any more without lawyers present.
"There has been no confession yet but the couple are now being detained and interrogated," Bali police spokesman Hery Wiyanto told The Chicago Tribune. No charges have been announced.
"This is murder, and we will decide from our investigation whether it is premeditated or spontaneous," Inspector Utomo added.
Von Wiese-Mack, who lived in upscale suburb Oak Park, Ill. had a volatile relationship with her daughter Heather, according to friends. Police were called to their large home 86 times in 10 years for domestic issues.
"At least four or five of us would say to kick her out. She was hanging out with a bad crowd," Mark Bacharach, a friend of the victim, told NBC news. "But Sheila always took her back. [Heather] could be as charming and self-effacingly sweet one minute, and then a vicious little monster the next."
