[MSN] A politically connected Detroit synagogue president was found stabbed to death Saturday morning outside her home in the city’s Lafayette Park neighborhood, east of downtown.
Samantha Woll, 40, led the Isaac Agree Downtown Detroit Synagogue and previously worked for U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, and on the reelection campaign of Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat.
Police said in an afternoon statement that they were investigating after finding a body stabbed multiple times in the 1300 block of Joliet Place. A trail of blood led to the victim's home, where police said they believe the crime occurred.
Detroit Police Chief James White asked for patience in a statement released Saturday evening and said an update on the investigation would come Sunday. "Over the course of the last several hours, the DPD has mobilized many of its resources and has been leveraging every law enforcement and community resource it has to help further the investigation. Understandably, this crime leaves many unanswered questions."
Police have not yet identified a motive, they said. They were called to a woman found lying on the ground unresponsive at about 6:30 a.m. and pronounced her dead at the scene, they said.
The FBI is aware of the case and is assisting Detroit police as requested, said Gabrielle Szlenkier, a spokesperson for the FBI's Detroit field office, in an email. The FBI referred all questions to local police.
As of Saturday afternoon, police were still in the area where Woll was killed — an upscale townhome district designed by the famed architect Mies van der Rohe. The adjoining properties were surrounded by caution tape and a Michigan State Police K-9 was seen sniffing in bushes.
In a social media post, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, called Woll a friend and an organizing community member who had a sweet smile and warm eyes.
"Our community is devastated and we are shocked," she said. "Please keep her family and our community in your prayers."
In 2017, The Detroit Jewish News selected Woll as one of its "36 under 36," describing her as co-chair of the American Jewish Committee’s ACCESS Detroit Young Leadership Program and founder of the Muslim-Jewish Forum of Detroit, a grassroots organization aimed at building relationships between young adults of those faiths.
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