Battered body of American woman found stuffed in suitcase on Bali
Daughter, boyfriend held over what police say was violent death at an elite beach resort
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 13 August, 2014, 2:27pm
UPDATED : Friday, 15 August, 2014, 6:44pm
Agence France-Presse in Denpasar
This photo taken on August 12, 2014 shows foreign tourists walking past the St. Regis hotel in Nusa Dua. Photo: AFP
An American tourist's battered body has been found in a suitcase at an exclusive hotel on Indonesia's resort island of Bali, and her daughter and the daughter's boyfriend had been arrested in connection with the killing, police said yesterday.
The body of Sheila von Wiese Mack was found on Tuesday stuffed into a suitcase in the boot of a taxi in front of the five-star St Regis hotel in the upscale Nusa Dua resort area of Bali.
The victim, 62 was half naked, had several wounds to her head, and appeared to have put up a struggle, a doctor said.
Tommy Schaffer and Heather Mack were arrested for the murder of Sheila von Wiese Mack in the exclusive St Regis. Photos: AFP, EPA
She had been staying in the hotel with her daughter, Heather, 19, and her daughter's boyfriend, Tommy Schaefer, 21, local police chief Djoko Hari Utomo said.
Mack and her daughter stayed in the hotel together for several days before the boyfriend joined them on Monday, Utomo said.
Mack was recorded on CCTV arguing with Schaefer in the hotel lobby the same night, he said.
The next day, the couple were checking out and sent several suitcases down to a taxi, allegedly including the one that contained the victim.
The body was discovered when the couple failed to show up at the taxi, Utomo said.
They were seen on CCTV leaving the hotel via a stretch of beach at the back of the property, instead of the main entrance.
Police launched a hunt and the pair were found sleeping at a hotel in the tourist area of Legian, north of Nusa Dua, early yesterday, Utomo said.
"This is murder, and we will decide from our investigation whether it is premeditated or spontaneous," he said.
The victim's body was sent to the main hospital in the Balinese capital, Denpasar, for an autopsy.
The body of Sheila von Wiese Mack was found Tuesday stuffed into the suitcase. Photo: AFP
A doctor there said it had several wounds to the head, which appeared to have been inflicted with "blunt tools".
"Looking at the wounds, the victim must have fought back," said Ida Bagus Alit, adding that one of the fingers on Mack's left hand was broken.
The hotel said that it was aware of the "terrible tragedy" and was assisting authorities in their investigation.
The US embassy in Jakarta said in a statement that it was "aware of the death of an American citizen that took place in Bali and we understand that two individuals have been arrested in connection with the case".
The beachfront St Regis is one of the most exclusive hotels in Bali with rooms starting at US$470 a night and a 24-hour butler service, according to its website.
