An FBI agent has arrived on the Indonesian resort island of Bali to assist in an investigation into the killing of a US woman found stuffed in a suitcase at an exclusive hotel, police said yesterday.
The news came as more gory details emerged of the death of Sheila von Wiese Mack, including that her neck had been broken when she was killed.
The 62-year-old’s half-naked body was found on Tuesday in a blood-stained suitcase in the boot of a taxi in front of the five-star Saint Regis hotel in the upscale Nusa Dua resort area.
Her daughter, Heather Mack, 19, and daughter’s boyfriend, Tommy Schaefer, 21, who were staying with the victim at the hotel, were arrested the following day and named suspects in the case.
They fled the hotel shortly before the body was discovered.
On Friday, a US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent arrived to assist with the investigation, Bali police said.
“The FBI agent wanted to know about the developments of the police investigation, and he will also provide back-up for us,” local police chief Djoko Hari Utomo told AFP.
Meanwhile, a doctor at the main hospital in the Balinese capital Denpasar said yesterday that an autopsy had been completed on the victim.
Medics found she had a broken neck and nasal bone and died asphyxiated, said doctor Ida Bagus Putu Alit.
He had previously said the wounds were consistent with Wiese Mack having put up a struggle.
The victim died on Tuesday before a wake-up call she had requested at 10am (0200 GMT), the doctor added.
Bali police chief Benny Mokalu has said strong evidence, including CCTV footage and finger prints, means police are likely to seek a charge of premeditated murder against the pair.
A charge of premeditated murder carries a maximum penalty of death in Indonesia.
Under the Indonesian legal system, they would only be formally charged once they appear in court.
On Friday the police formally designated the couple as “prisoners” after they had been held for more than 48 hours, as is the practice in Indonesia, their lawyer said.
“According to the police, yes they will stand trial for murder but due process must be followed first,” Haposan Sihombing, the couple’s appointed Indonesian lawyer, told Reuters.
The couple have refused to talk to Indonesian investigators and demanded representation from American lawyers.
Police provided CCTV footage showing the couple speaking to the taxi driver after dropping off the bloodied suitcase along with other luggage outside the hotel on Tuesday.
Police said the two left, apparently to check-out of the hotel, and never returned.
They were later arrested at a nearby budget hotel.
Police said the investigation could take weeks.