When Lambs Become Wolves

Sgt. Rasul T. Freelain (Ret.) served twenty years with the Oak Park Police Department in Illinois. He is certified by CIT (Crisis Intervention Team) International as a coordinator and teaches for the Illinois CIT Training Unit. Currently he is working to bring increased awareness to the problem of child-to-parent violence and abuse (CPVA).

"In When Lambs Become Wolves, Sgt. Rasul T. Freelain shares his haunting firsthand account of Sheila von Wiese-Mack's desperate struggle to save her daughter from a path of violence and destruction. Through his unique perspective as both investigator and confidant, Freelain reveals the tragic collision of love, denial, and betrayal that ended in unthinkable violence."—Esther Sanchez Ludlow, host and producer, Once Upon a Crime podcast"A heartbreaking exploration of a complex family tragedy, exposing a system not yet reconciled to the possibility of needing to protect a parent from their own child."—Helen Bonnick, author of Child to Parent Violence and Abuse: A Practitioner's Guide to Working with Families"Freelain delivers the most revealing, honest, and human account to date of Sheila von Wiese-Mack's struggle to save herself and her teenage daughter. His book is a must-read for anyone who truly hopes to understand this terrible tragedy."—Jon Seidel, reporter, Chicago Sun-Times"A thought-provoking and insightful book on a very timely issue that deserves the focus and effort required to identify needed changes in both law enforcement training and in laws dealing with victims of abuse. Issues affecting children may have come full circle that are being reflected in teen violence on our streets and in our schools today."—Gary Schenkel, chairman, Illinois Terrorism Task Force"Freelain draws on his professional experience as a sergeant, detective, school resource officer, and teacher and takes us into the world of child-to-parent violence and abuse (CPVA), a troubling aspect of family violence for which, until recently, we had no language. While it may reflect a harsh societal reality, he does us a service by leading us toward facing the problem and starting discussions on how to fix it."—John F. S. Williams, Crisis Intervention Team (C.I.T.) Coordinator for Northern Illinois"A profoundly jarring effort to make both clinical and personal sense of a tragedy that has left a trail of horror across multiple generations and beyond global boundaries; the story of Sheila von Wiese-Mack lingers, haunts, and unsettles anew as the author seeks to shed some light on this most grim chapter of loss told from the middle-American heartland."—Bayo Ojikutu, author of 47th Street Black and Free Burning

• AcknowledgmentsForewordPrefaceIntroductionNote on Terminology and LanguagePart I1. No!2. A Lady in the Lobby3. Revolving Doors4. Less than 24 Hours5. Green Light6. Ground Zero7. West Wall8. Flashing Lights9. BeforePart II10. Triage11. Threat to Self12. Detention13. The Nuclear Option14. Conviction15. Tombstone CouragePart III16. Proof17. Invasion18. If Something Isn't Done19. The Devil You Know20. Assurances21. Rising Star22. More Than HopePart IV23. 86 Calls24. Wicked Deeds25. Warning Bells26. 15 minutes27. '17 Problems28. Jeopardy29. Smear Campaign30. GuiltyAppendicesNotes