Detroit synagogue president found stabbed to death outside her home
Police have not determined a motive and have assigned the case to their homicide unit for investigation.
LEARN MOREPosted: 7:15 p.m. EDT Oct 22, 2023
The Detroit synagogue president, tragically found stabbed to death outside her home on Saturday, was laid to rest on Sunday.
As loved ones paid their respects to Samantha Woll, the police confirmed that their investigation into her killing has not yet uncovered any evidence of a hate crime as a motive.
"The investigation into the death of Ms. Woll remains ongoing. At this time, however, no evidence has surfaced suggesting that this crime was motivated by antisemitism," said Police Chief James E. White in a statement obtained by Scripps News Detroit.
According to White, the FBI and Detroit Police Department detectives are collaborating to examine all the information gathered thus far in an attempt to determine the sequence of events that resulted in Woll's death, and officials are interviewing people with potential information to further the investigation.
"I again ask the community to remain patient while our investigators and law enforcement partners continue their work. Everything that can be done to bring this matter to closure is being called into service," White said.
Her sister, Monica Woll Rosen, speaking to mourners at the Jewish funeral home Sunday, said her sister "deeply wanted peace for this world."
“You fought for everyone, regardless of who they were or where they came from,” said Rosen. "You were the definition of a leader. Our world is shattered without you."
First responders discovered Woll's lifeless body outside her home on Saturday, and police later confirmed that she had been stabbed multiple times.
The 40-year-old had been president of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue since 2022 and had previously served as an aide to Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin and as a campaign staffer for Attorney General Dana Nessel. She was also on the board of the Jewish Community Relations Council and the American Jewish Committee.
