The surviving grandmother of Heather Mack’s baby, Stella, said in court Friday that she fears the three-month-old is being sold for $150,000.
Kia Walker spoke in a Cook County courtroom and said she has proof in the form of text messages. Cook County Judge Neil Cohen urged Walker to hire an attorney.
Walker declined to elaborate on her allegation when asked by NBC 5 to provide more information.
"I’d rather put it in a book," Walker told NBC Chicago.
Mack’s attorney, Michael Elkin, denied the allegations.
“The allegations of Heather selling Baby Stella for $150,000 are unequivocally not true, but are nothing more than a smearing campaign of Heather’s genuine concerns for Stella," he told NBC Chicago. "The financial motives of Kia Walker are coming to light by her own admissions.”
Stella was born shortly before her parents, Mack and Tommy Schaefer, were found guilty of murdering Mack’s mother, Sheila von Wiese-Mack. Her body was found beaten and stuffed in a suitcase near a posh resort in Bali last August. Mack and Schaefer are serving 10 and 18 year prison terms for their roles in the murder.
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Mack and her baby are currently living with eight other women in a cell in the Kerobokan Prison.
Earlier this week, Mack told NBC Chicago, through her attorney, that she was considering allowing another family in Indonesia to raise Stella. But she stated nothing was set in stone.
Von Wiese-Mack’s family members attended Friday’s court proceedings on the continued fight over the trust fund she left behind. The fund that started at nearly $1.6 million now contains approximately $1.2 million. Money has been spent on lawyer fees and Mack’s and Stella’s living expenses while in custody in Bali.
While the family contests Mack’s access to the fund, they are prepared to make support payments to Stella. They also found a good Samaritan in Indonesia to provide help.
"We just wish the best for Stella and we’re all concerned about Stella, her health and for Stella to have a wonderful life," said Bill Wiese, the brother of Sheila Von Wiese-Mack and Heather’s uncle.
Debbi Curran described her sister, Sheila von Wiese-Mack, as a kind and generous person who loved everybody.
"She was my best friend, my only sister and I miss her," Curran said. "We will honor her the rest of our lives."
Friends and family members of Sheila von Wiese-Mack planned a memorial concert for her Saturday at the Evanston Public Library.
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