The president of a progressive synagogue in the northern US city of Detroit was found stabbed to death outside her home on Saturday, and police warned against speculation about the motive for the killing.
Samantha Woll, 40, was president of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue and was close to local Democratic Party officials.
When police and doctors were called to the scene in a neighborhood in Detroit, a major city in Michigan, they found a person “lying unconscious on the ground” before being “pronounced dead on the scene,” according to the local Police stated in a statement.
“On site, police officers noticed a trail of blood that led them to the victim’s apartment, where the crime apparently took place,” the city police continued.
Samantha Woll, president of a synagogue in Detroit, USA, was found lifeless outside her home this morning, reports The Guardian. According to local media, the 40-year-old woman was stabbed. If the investigators have not yet clarified the motive for the crime, the… pic.twitter.com/mZZ6KnTUDI
– Hadi Hassin (@hassinhadi) October 21, 2023
The first “examinations on the victim’s body revealed several knife wounds and the investigation was therefore entrusted to the criminal investigation department for homicide,” the police added, specifying that “the motive for this murder remained unknown.”
Local Police Chief James White urged everyone to “remain patient” despite “many unanswered questions” during the investigation.
“It is important that no conclusions be drawn before all available (elements) have been reviewed,” White said in a statement.
The local branch of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) “will assist the Detroit Police Department,” the FBI told AFP in an emailed statement.
The synagogue led by Ms. Woll said on its Facebook page it was “shocked and saddened by the news of the sudden death” of its chief executive.
According to the Detroit Free Press newspaper, Ms. Woll has been at the helm of the house of worship since 2022, previously worked for Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin and worked for the re-election campaign of Michigan attorney Dana Nessel, a Democrat like Ms. Woll.
Ms Nessel spoke to X in person and said she was “shocked, saddened and horrified by the violent murder of Sam”.
“Sam truly relied on his faith and activism to create a better place for everyone,” the prosecutor praised.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said he was “devastated” by Woll’s death.
“Just a few weeks ago, I spent a happy day with Sam at (a ceremony at the) newly renovated downtown synagogue,” Mr. Duggan wrote of her riding with success, great pride and enthusiasm, the elected official added.
According to the Detroit Free Press, Woll was a member of a local organization aimed at bringing together young Jews and young Muslims.
The United States, particularly New York, has been rocked by demonstrations, tensions and some reports of violence between Jewish and Muslim groups, fueled by the Middle East war between Hamas and Israel.