An American teenager in jail for allegedly bludgeoning her mother to death at a resort in Bali is two months pregnant and has been physically assaulted while in Indonesian police custody, her lawyer claims. Heather Mack, 19, has also been told that if she doesn't speak with authorities or if her attorney does not arrive within days, she will be denied food and water, lawyer Michael D. Elkin said in a statement. He said the state of Mack's detention is being released “due to health concerns” for her.
Although Mack is being held by Indonesian authorities, they have not yet charged her with any crime, Elkin said. In contrast to most Western legal systems, suspects are not formally charged with a crime until after an investigation is completed and a trial begins. Earlier reports said Mack and her 21-year-old boyfriend and alleged accomplice Tommy Schafer were charged with murder.
Mack and Schaefer allegedly struck Mack’s mother, Sheila von Wiese-Mack, with a blunt object during a vacation at the posh St. Regis hotel. Indonesian police found a bloody towel, vase and sheets at the room where von Wiese-Mack had been staying since Saturday. After her murder, her body was found Tuesday in a suitcase left in the trunk of a taxi.
In-Depth
- Sheila Von Wiese-Mack Murder: Bloody Vase Found at Bali Crime Scene
- Sheila Von Wiese-Mack's Daughter, Boyfriend Charged With Murder
- Woman Whose Body Was Found in Suitcase Was Warned Not to Go to Bali
— Jacob Passy and Stephanie Siegel