SHEILA von Wiese-Mack was a Chicago socialite and philanthropist, known for her intellect, wit, and love of the arts.
She was also a devoted mother, but her relationship with her only daughter Heather was marked by years of domestic conflict and police intervention — right up until Sheila was murdered by her own child.
Who was Sheila von Wiese-Mack?
Sheila von Wiese-Mack was a Chicago socialite and philanthropist, known for her work with prominent figures such as Senator Ted Kennedy and broadcaster Studs Terkel.
She held an MBA and was described as cultured and accomplished.
Sheila was also the widow of James L. Mack, a respected jazz and classical composer who died in 2006.
After her husband’s death, Sheila lived with her only child, Heather Mack, and the two had a deeply troubled relationship marked by frequent domestic disputes and calls to the police.
Sheila was brutally murdered in August 2014 while on vacation in Bali by her daughter and her then-boyfriend Tommy Schaefer.
The pair killed Sheila by bludgeoning her with a metal object and suffocating her, then concealed her body in a suitcase and left it in the trunk of a taxi outside their luxury hotel.
Troubled relationship
Sheila’s relationship with her daughter was fraught with conflict and violence.
Police were called to their home dozens of times over nearly a decade, for issues ranging from theft to domestic violence.
Sheila suffered physical injuries from altercations with Mack, including a broken arm in 2011.
Despite these incidents, Sheila often hesitated to press charges, torn between protecting herself and helping her daughter.
By 2013, Sheila confided to police that she feared her daughter might one day kill her.
Murder in Bali
In August 2014, Sheila and Mack traveled together to the luxury St Regis resort in Nusa Dua, Bali.
Unbeknownst to Sheila, her daughter used her credit card to fly her boyfriend Tommy Schaefer to join them.
On the night of August 7, 2014, Mack allowed Schaefer into their resort and held her mother’s mouth shut to muffle the screams as her boyfriend beat her to death.
The duo then stuffed Sheila’s body in a suitcase and placed it into the trunk of a cab, only to leave it there after they ran off when the taxi driver wouldn’t accept their fare.
The taxi driver noticed the blood-soaked suitcase and called the police.
After authorities discovered Sheila’s body inside, Mack and Schaefer were arrested at a nearby motel.
Aftermath
Investigations revealed that Mack and Schaefer plotted Sheila’s murder to gain access to more than $1million from her estate.
Schaefer claimed he killed Sheila after she attacked him upon learning of Mack’s pregnancy, but evidence showed the crime was premeditated.
Both were charged with premeditated murder and faced the possibility of the death penalty in Indonesia.
After the murder, Mack was convicted in Indonesia and sentenced to 10 years in prison, of which she served seven.
During their sensational trial in 2015, she gave birth to daughter Stella in prison.
Schaefer was sentenced to 18 years in prison for premeditated murder after telling the court he killed 62-year-old Sheila with the metal handle of a fruit bowl.
Upon her release and deportation to the States in August 2021, she was immediately arrested on federal charges of conspiracy and obstruction related to the murder.
In 2023, she pleaded guilty to conspiring to kill a US national and was sentenced to 26 years in prison.
The media nicknamed Mack the “suitcase killer” due to the nature of the grisly murder.
With credit for time already served, her remaining sentence was reduced to around 23 years.
Where is Heather Mack now?
Mack is currently incarcerated in a federal correctional facility in West Virginia.
Her daughter, named Stella, is in the custody of her family in Colorado.
Sheila von Wiese-Mack’s death was the culmination of years of familial turmoil and abuse.
Her murder shocked the international community, not only for its brutality, but also for the tragic unraveling of a mother-daughter relationship that had long been troubled.
