Police look for a motive in the fatal stabbing of a Detroit synagogue president
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Updated October 22, 2023 at 8:36 AM ET
The president of a Detroit synagogue was found dead with stab wounds outside her home on Saturday morning, police said.
Authorities said the death of Samantha Woll, who led the Isaac Agree Downtown Detroit Synagogue, was being investigated as a homicide.
Multiple stab wounds were found on her body, police said in a statement.
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Police officers arrived at the 1300 block of Joliet Place in the Lafayette Park neighborhood on Saturday morning in response to a call about a person lying on the ground unresponsive.
She was declared dead on the scene. There, officers observed a trail of blood "leading them to the victim's residence, which is where the crime is believed to have occurred," the statement read.
The motive for the killing is not yet known, police said. Detroit Police Chief James White urged the public to not jump to conclusions while the police investigate.
"Understandably, this crime leaves many unanswered questions. This matter is under investigation, and I am asking that everyone remain patient while investigators carefully examine every aspect of the available evidence," White said in a statement Saturday evening on X, formerly Twitter.
"An update on the investigation will be forthcoming tomorrow," he added.
Woll had led the Isaac Agree synagogue since last year, according to the Detroit Free Press, which first reported her death.
"We are shocked and saddened to learn of the unexpected death of Samantha Woll, our Board President," the synagogue said in a statement on social media, adding that it did not currently have further information.
Prior to leading the downtown synagogue, Woll had worked for U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin and on a handful of election campaigns for other Michigan Democrats, including state Attorney General Dana Nessel.
"I am shocked, saddened and horrified to learn of Sam's brutal murder," Nessel said in a statement. "Sam was as kind a person as I've ever known. She was driven by her sincere love of her community, state and country. Sam truly used her faith and activism to create a better place for everyone."
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said in a statement that Woll's death "has left a huge hole in the Detroit community. This entire city joins with her family and friends in mourning her tragic death."
Beyond the synagogue, Woll was an active leader in the Jewish community who was passionate about bridging Muslim-Jewish relations, said Detroit's Jewish Community Relations Council/American Jewish Committee.
"We are grieving for her family and our community," a spokesperson for the organization said in a statement. "She will forever be remembered as a ray of sunlight to all who knew her."
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