Mary Alice Siem


Mary Alice Siem was a student at the University of California, Berkeley who was one of the founding members of the Symbionese Liberation Army, an extremist group known for the kidnapping of heiress Patty Hearst.

Symbionese Liberation Army

Siem was known to have visited both Donald DeFreeze and Thero Wheeler while they were in prison, prior to their escapes. She was considered to be Wheeler's girlfriend and a frequent visitor to him at the prison. After Wheeler's escape, Siem began hanging out with Mizmoon and Nancy Ling Perry. She is believed to have left the SLA soon after the escape of Thero Wheeler from prison. On February 18, 1974, police in Redding, California, sought Siem as a "known acquaintance" of two escaped convicts. She was described in the press as a young heiress, 24 years of age.
On 4 May 1974, an article appeared in The Pittsburgh Courier quoting Siem. She had originally spoken to The San Francisco Examiner. She said that she had left the SLA due to death threats from DeFreeze: