A suspect arrested in connection with the stabbing death of a prominent Jewish community leader has been released after police failed to file required paperwork, prosecutors have confirmed.
The revelation made this week by the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office comes nearly a month after 40-year-old Samantha Woll was found stabbed to death outside her Detroit home, sparking an investigation that led to the suspect’s arrest.
On Friday, the suspect was released after 72 hours in custody – days after the city’s police chief told reporters they had arrested a person of interest without specifying what led to his arrest.
A day-long interrogation followed, which ended with the suspect’s release. The decision was reportedly made after the suspect made an “ambiguous” statement to police — a statement that sources told the Detroit News was not enough to warrant charges.
No arrest warrant was ever filed and the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office’s hands were tied. A spokesman for the office confirmed the situation in a brief statement.
Samantha Woll, 40, was found stabbed to death outside her Detroit home nearly a month ago, but an arrested suspect has since been released
The suspect was released Friday after being held for 72 hours – days after the city’s police chief, James E. White, announced they had taken in a person of interest
“We don’t have anything,” Maria Miller told Fox News about the lack of an arrest warrant – something the suspect’s lawyers had already claimed last week.
“This must happen before we can review the case for a charging decision,” Miller continued, citing long-standing legal practices in all states.
“Until then, it is strictly an open police investigation that they are continuing to work on,” she added.
Not a single charge has now been filed, meaning the suspect is not only back on the streets, but may also remain nameless.
When asked, police officers did not provide any information about the status of their increasingly lengthy investigation, which began on October 21 in Detroit’s Lafayette Park neighborhood.
That’s where a wandering witness stumbled upon Woll’s bloody body, just yards from her home on Joliet Place. The body of the woman, who appeared on the Detroit Jewish News’ “36 Under 36” list in 2017, was found next to a trail of blood.
The local leader’s death came two weeks after Hamas attacks on Israel and immediately raised questions about a suspect and a possible motive.
What attracted more attention was the fact that Woll – who was on her way home from a wedding in Sterling Heights before her death – was president of a local synagogue and worked as an assistant district director for a local congresswoman.
The Jewish leader’s body was discovered outside her home in downtown Detroit after police followed a trail of blood to her property
40-year-old Woll was found brutally stabbed outside her home
The male suspect, who reportedly knew the victim, was handcuffed in Kalamazoo after police discovered Wolls had been stabbed in her home (seen here).
Then, more than two weeks after the investigation began, the same four sources who allegedly told The News that the man gave an “ambiguous” statement to police about the murder claimed the suspect was an acquaintance of Woll’s.
He was handcuffed in Kalamazoo on Tuesday night after police discovered the victim had been stabbed in her home before she stumbled[ing]’ and ‘collapses[ing]’ outside.
In a statement following the Jewish leader’s death, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, for whom Woll also worked in her re-election campaign, said she was “shocked, saddened and appalled” by the “murder.”
“Sam was the kindest person I have ever known.” She was driven by her genuine love for her community, her state and her country. “Sam has truly used her faith and commitment to create a better place for everyone,” Nessel said on X.
Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin — the representative who hired the local leader — also praised Woll, saying she was one of the leaders who led her office in her first full term in Washington.
“She did for our team as deputy district director what came so naturally to her: helping others and serving constituents,” she said on X.
“Regardless, in politics and in the Jewish community, she dedicated her short life to building understanding between faiths and bringing light to the face of darkness.”
According to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, Woll’s suspect was released after police failed to file required paperwork
Michigan Attorney General Danal Nessel paid a heartbreaking tribute to Woll (pictured together), saying the Jewish leader was “the kindest person I have ever known.”
Woll, 40, had been director of the Isaac Agree Downtown Detroit Synagogue since 2022 and was known for her work with Democratic politicians such as Rep. Elissa Slotkin
I am shocked, saddened and horrified to learn of Sam’s brutal murder. Sam was the kindest person I have ever known. She was driven by her sincere love for her community, her state and her country. Sam has truly used her faith and commitment to create a better place for everyone. pic.twitter.com/gIYRP4USaj
– Dana Nessel (@dananessel) October 21, 2023
I and the entire Slotkin team are heartbroken by this news. Sam worked for me almost from the moment I became a congressman, helping us set up the office and helping me run it throughout my first term. https://t.co/BisT7N6cAa
– Rep. Elissa Slotkin (@RepSlotkin) October 21, 2023
As for White – who revealed Tuesday after the arrest that Woll had been lying on the street for “quite a while” before she was discovered in the early hours of October 21 – he has yet to comment on the man’s release, and his troop has done so and has not yet released an update.
When contacted by , experts said the arrest was likely a ploy to get the suspect to say something incriminating and that the decision to release him was likely made so that officials would not risk charges to raise that does not last.
At a news conference two days after the murder, White claimed there was “no evidence” that Woll was the victim of an anti-Semitic hate crime.
The Detroit Free Press, meanwhile, recently reported that police executed a search warrant on the unnamed man’s home last week, based on another police source’s statement.
White, meanwhile, would not confirm last week whether Woll had left the wedding alone, saying they were “very, very careful” about the information they shared.
He said on Wednesday: “The details of the investigation remain confidential at this time to ensure the integrity of the remaining important steps.”
The Detroit Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from .