Friends of a widow beaten to death and stuffed in a suitcase at a Bali resort say they warned her not to take her troublesome teenage daughter along on the dream vacation.



The news comes as it emerged police had been called to victim Sheila von Wiese Mack's suburban Chicago home some 86 times to break up fights between the wealthy academic and her daughter, Heather Mack, 19, a college drop out who was 'hanging out with a bad crowd' and had recently moved into a hotel.



The two had an often tempestuous relationship, recalled close friend Mark Bacharach, and had been fighting prior to the vacation at the luxury St. Regis hotel on the Indonesian island resort.



But Mrs Mack tracked down her daughter, and despite the fact she 'barely recognized her anymore' the two set off on the 10-day-plus trip to the other side of the globe, where the 62-year-old ultimately met a grisly end.

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Smiles: The teen was pictured smoking and smiling Wednesday while in custody

Tragic: The body of Sheila von Wiese Mack, pictured last year, was found beaten and bruised, crammed into a suitcase that the young couple had left in the trunk of a taxi before apparently fleeing through the hotel's rear exiy

Gruesome find: The body of Sheila von Wiese Mack was discovered stuffed in this suitcase left in a cab outside the five-star St Regis hotel in Nusa Dua, Bali. Her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend have been arrested

Policemen look at the suitcase, which is stained with the blood of the victim

Ms Mack and her boyfriend, Tommy Schaefer, 21, were arrested in connection with the murder early Wednesday morning. They have not been charged.

'She tried to hope when it came [to Heather],' Mr Bacharach told NBC News. 'That was my friend's most outstanding characteristic.

'At least four or five of us would say to kick her out. She was hanging out with a bad crowd. 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.'



Police had been called to the Mack's sprawling house an incredible 86 times in a 10 year period, David Powers, communications officer for the Village of Oak Park, told MailOnline.



'They were all for domestic issues between mother and daughter,' he said. 'They were mainly for domestic issues and theft and there were some calls to 911 when the caller hung up. In such cases police send a squad car.



'There are no records of any arrests,' Powers added. 'But for a large portion of that time, the daughter would have been a juvenile, so those records would be sealed, so I can't say for certain.'

A next door neighbor backed up the claims, telling the Chicago Tribune: 'Police were here all the time. They would call police on each other. It turned very abusive and volatile.'



Powers said Mrs Mack's death has sent shock waves through the upscale village which promotes itself on the ease of residents' commutes into Chicago.



'I first heard it this morning as I was preparing to come to work and thought what a terrible story, not dreaming it would have such a connection to the Village of Oak Park.'



Powers said the calls stopped in June of last year when mother and daughter moved to a luxury apartment in Chicago overlooking Lake Michigan.



Young love: Ms Mack posted this photo of her and her boyfriend on social media

Suspects: Mrs Von Wiese Mack's daughter Lois Heather Mack, right, and her boyfriend, Tommy Schaeffer, left, were arrested after police hunted them down to a nearby hotel after they left St Regis through a back door



No charges: The daughter has not yet been named as a suspect, though may be soon

Troublesome two: The Chicago Sun-Times reports that just three weeks ago the young couple allegedly used Mrs Mack's credit card without her permission to party at a city hotel

According to NBC, police records show there was an outstanding warrant for Schaefer's arrest from February 2013 after he failed to appear in court on marijuana possession charge in Monroe County, Indiana.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that just three weeks ago the young couple allegedly used Mrs Mack's credit card without her permission to party at a city hotel. Schaefer was arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct after he 'began getting loud and waving arms,' according to police records.



The glimpse inside the family life comes after MailOnline found a cryptic message posted by Ms Mack on Instagram saying, 'I refuse to let someone say what I can do' just days before her mother's body was discovered in the bloody case in the back of a taxi.



On August 7, Ms Mack posted a picture of idyllic Bali, presumably from the window of the exclusive St. Regis Hotel in Nusa Dua where she was staying with her mom with the caption: 'i refuse to let someone say what i can do, gettin (sic) money my attitude you know what it do #bali.'



Less than a week later, and just a day after Schaefer arrived, Mrs Mack's body turned up beaten and bruised, crammed into a suitcase that the young couple had left in the trunk of a cab before fleeing through the St. Regis' rear exit.

Mrs Mack, who once worked for Ted Kennedy, was wrapped in a blood-stained bed sheet, had several wounds to her head, and appeared to have put up a struggle, a doctor said.

According to CNN, the couple told police they had been taken captive at the resort by an armed gang whose members killed Mrs Mack but they later managed to escape.



Mrs Von Wiese Mack and her daughter had been staying at the St Regis hotel for several days before Schaefer joined them on Monday, AFP reported Mr Utomo as saying.

The mother, who friends claim didn't like her daughter's hip-hop artist boyfriend, was recorded on CCTV arguing with Mr Schaefer in the hotel lobby the same night, he said.

Head wounds: A doctor said Mrs Mack, pictured, had suffered several wounds to the head, which appeared to have been inflicted with 'blunt tools'

Former home: The Macks lived in this lavish Oak Park home until they sold it for $650,000 in july 2013

Cryptic: Ms Mack posted this picture from Bali on August 7 with te caption 'I refuse to let someone say what i can do, gettin money my attitude you know what it do #bali'

The next day, the young couple were checking out and sent several suitcases down to a taxi, allegedly including the one that contained the victim. But instead of going down themselves, they crept out via a stretch of beach at the back of the hotel - an area covered by surveillance cameras.

'When they did not come down to get into the taxi, the suitcases were removed and the body was found in one of them,' said Mr Utomo. Police hunted the couple down to a hotel in Kuta, about six miles from St. Regis, where they were found sleeping early this morning.

No charges have been announced but 'the couple are now being detained and interrogated,' said Hery Wiyanto, a Bali police spokesman, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Mr Utomo said: 'This is murder, and we will decide from our investigation whether it is premeditated or spontaneous.' An officer escorts Mack: Police tracked the 18-year-old and her boyfriend to a hotel in the Legian tourist area An Indonesian police officer escorts Schaefer, left, as he is brought to the police station for questioning Mr Schaeffer hides his face as he's led to the police station in handcuffs by an Indonesian policeman Schaeffer arrives at the police station. Police say they are trying to work out if the attack was premeditated

Indonesian forensic police officers gather evidence: Mrs Mack's body was found by police after her daughter failed to come down to the cab packed with the bags and its driver took them to the police station Teen: Ms Mack, pictured left and right, recently graduated high school Boyfriend: Schaefer, pictured left and right, joined the mother and daughter on Monday Local police chief Djoko Hari Utomo told reporters Ms Mack and Schaefer were arrested early this morning after they were found at another hotel several miles away, the policeman said. The Jakarta Globe reported that the driver told police he had gone to the hotel to pick up Mrs Mack and her daughter - whose full name was given by police as Lois Heather Mack - and Ms Mack's boyfriend. The young couple loaded the large suitcase into the boot, before going back into the luxury hotel - but they did not come back out again.

After waiting for two hours, the driver was advised by the hotel staff to report the matter to the police. It is believed that the suitcase was leaking blood by this point.

The body was wrapped in a hotel bedsheet and tied up with duct tape

He drove to Kuta Police Station, where officers opened the suitcase and found Mrs Mack's body inside.

'The body was wrapped in a hotel bedsheet and tied up with duct tape,' said Inspector Djoko. 'There were blood stains all over the sheet.'

Two smaller suitcases were found in the St. Regis' garden both containing hotel towels with blood on them, police said.



Although police had said earlier that CCTV footage showed the two younger people arguing in the hotel lobby, Inspector Djoko said later that it was Schaefer and Mrs Mack who were arguing.

The Globe said that hotel staff told police Ms Mack and Schaeffer had refused to allow the hotel's bellboy to take the suitcase down to the taxi the morning after the row that was captured on CCTV.

The staff had also tried to detain Ms Mack and her boyfriend while they tried to find Mrs Mack, but the couple were captured on CCTV hurrying from the hotel through the rear part of the complex.

Strange behavior: Ms Mack, pictured, and her boyfriend loaded the large suitcase into the boot of a taxi, before going back into the luxury hotel - but they did not come back out again

Arrested: It's not clear how long the couple, pictured left and right, had been together

Older: Tommy Schaefer, 21, pictured, is a few years older than his girlfriend who is 19

Arrested: Ms Mack and Mr Schaefer, pictured, were arrested early this morning after they were found at another hotel several miles away

Gang? According to CNN, the couple told police they had been taken captive at the resort by an armed gang whose members killed Mack but they later managed to escape

Blood: Investigators place a bloody pillow in an evidence bag

Investigation: Police gathered around the exclusive hotel

Blood: A smear of blood is seen on the taxi after the suitcase was removed from the car

Vacation: The victim's husband also died while on vacation, though of a pulmonary embolism

Strange: As well as his girlfriend's curious Instagram post, Schaefer wrote a cryptic message, pictured, on Facebook ahead of Mrs Mack's death

Mrs Mack's body was sent to the main hospital in the Balinese capital Denpasar for a post-mortem examination.

A doctor there said the victim had suffered several wounds to the head, which appeared to have been inflicted with 'blunt tools'.

Looking at the wounds, the victim must have fought back

'Looking at the wounds, the victim must have fought back,' said Ida Bagus Alit, adding that one of her fingers on her left hand was broken and there were bruises on her wrists.

As well as his girlfriend's curious Instagram post, Schaefer wrote a cryptic message on Facebook ahead of Mrs Mack's death.

On July 21, he wrote on Facebook: 'Leaving Aug 4th for Indonesia might not come backkkk.'

The 21-year-old's profile picture shows him embracing another girl, who appears to be his ex-girlfriend who passed away. In other posts, he talks about how he misses his first love.



The hotel said that it was aware of the 'terrible tragedy' and was assisting authorities in their investigation.

The Minnesota-born Mrs Mack studied political science at Simmons College in Boston before getting a job with Senator Ted Kennedy, she told the Caxton Club, a book collectors group, in an interview last year.

'He had me doing research for him, and lots of miscellaneous jobs the political life requires. I even poured tea for Rose Kennedy a time or two.'



She said she was once a victim of a crime and her 'very concerned employer' came to the courtroom to 'make sure it was being taken seriously.'

Tourists walk past the St Regis: The beachfront St Regis is one of the most exclusive hotels in Bali with rooms starting at $470 a night and a 24-hour butler service, according to its website

Luxurious: The Swimmable Lagoon at the St. Regis Bali Resort

Opulent: The lobby of the hotel, which boasts panoramic ocean views, 123 suites and villas

Dramatic: The St Regis Hotel's 'Rainforest Gate'. The hotel is in one of Bali's most upmarket tourist areas

Luxury: The St. Regis hotel is a sprawling beach-side resort, pictured

She also later worked with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, she said in the interview. Later, she did a PHD at the University of Chicago, studying with Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Saul Bellow for 10 years.



Mrs Mack is also the widow of the late Chicago composer and conductor James L.Mack, who died in August 2006.

The father and husband also died on vacation in a hotel, though of a pulmonary embolism. He was travelling in Greece at the time with his wife and daughter.

Mr Mack, described by the Chicago Tribune as a 'jack of all genres,' was a conductor, composer, producer and arranger who worked on more than 60 albums for artists including Nancy Wilson, Jerry Butler and Tyrone.

The Tribune quoted jazzman Ramsey Lewis as saying of Mr Mack: 'Mack was one of the few musicians in the world who was at home in front of a symphony orchestra, a jazz big band, an R&B group...



'There was no genre of music, other than maybe hip-hop and rap, that James Mack was not comfortable with.'

Mrs Mack was about to downsize from the family's Oak Park home to a new apartment on Lake Shore Drive when she was interviewed by the Caxton Club in May 2013.

She told the newsletter 'With a teenager, she tries to be at home for most evenings.'



The U.S. 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 $470 a night and a 24-hour butler service, according to its website.