Detroit police release update after shocking murder of synagogue president
Detroit, Michigan - Police probing the stabbing death of Samantha Woll, the president of a Detroit synagogue, said Sunday that no evidence has emerged of antisemitism as a motive.
Detroit police chief James White said in a brief statement that his force is interviewing "individuals with information that may further the investigation" into the killing of Woll. He gave no details.
"No evidence has surfaced suggesting that this crime was motivated by antisemitism," White said.
He said the FBI is assisting Detroit police and he asked for patience as the probe proceeds.
"Everything that can be done to bring this matter to closure is being called into service," White said.
Woll presided over the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue, which serves metropolitan Detroit.
The murder came amid escalating tensions in Jewish and Muslim communities across the US over the Israel-Gaza war. On October 14, six-year-old Palestinian-American Wadea Al-Fayoume was stabbed to death by his landlord in Illinois.
Samantha Woll murder causes shock and grief
Emergency personnel found Woll dead outside her home with multiple stab wounds, police said in a statement Saturday. A trail of blood led officers to Woll's home, "which is where the crime is believed to have occurred."
Woll, who led the synagogue since 2022, was also active in Democratic Party affairs, working for Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin and on the campaign of the state's attorney general, Dana Nessel, the Detroit Free Press said.
"I am shocked, saddened and horrified to learn of Sam's brutal murder. Sam was as kind a person as I've ever known," Nessel posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Slotkin said Woll sought to build "understanding across faiths, bringing light in the face of darkness."
The Free Press said Woll, whose funeral took place Sunday, had been active in a grassroots organization aimed at building ties between young Muslims and Jews.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian member of Congress, Rashida Tlaib, described Woll as a friend and said she was shocked at the killing.
"I have no words," Tlaib posted on Facebook.
Cover photo: Collage: Sarah RICE / AFP & Facebook/Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue