Police report no evidence of hate crime in death of Detroit synagogue leader
FOX News' Garrett Tenney provides details on the case as police are investigating the stabbing death of synagogue president Samantha Woll.
The grisly stabbing death of synagogue president and political strategist Samantha Woll was not a hate crime, Detroit Police announced Monday at a press conference.
"We believe that there are no other groups or anyone else at risk in regard to this particular incident," Detroit Chief of Police James E. White told reporters. "We believe this incident was not motivated by antisemitism and this suspect acted alone." There was no forced entry, he noted.
The body of the beloved community leader and avid supporter of Israel was found about 6:30 a.m. Saturday in front of her home in the Motor City's upscale Lafayette Park neighborhood.
Detroit police responded to a 911 call of an unresponsive person and found 40-year-old Woll on the ground outside her townhome.
MICHIGAN JEWISH SYNAGOGUE PRESIDENT SAMANTHA WOLL FOUND DEAD OUTSIDE DETROIT HOME
Samantha Woll standing inside Detroit's Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue. She was found stabbed to death Saturday outside her home. (Facebook)
She had stab wounds, and there was a trail of blood on the walkway that led to her home.
"We certainly know that this is a dangerous person," White added.
The investigation has revealed that Woll returned home from a wedding about 12:30 a.m. Police are focused on her drive home from the wedding and whether street cameras captured another driver following her.
"We'll be tracking her entire route digitally," he said.
Once she arrived home, police believe she was attacked inside then stumbled outside and collapsed in the yard, White told reporters.
But investigators are working with blood spatter experts to confirm her trajectory.
NEIGHBOR OF SLAIN DETROIT SYNAGOGUE LEADER REVEALS 2ND OMINOUS INCIDENT OVER WEEKEND
Samantha Woll, a Detroit synagogue president, found dead outside her home, according to police (Dana Nessel/X)
White, whose office is working with the FBI and the Michigan State Police in the probe, added that investigators hadn't zeroed in on a single person of interest yet. "We have a number of people that give us interest. We are just short of calling one of the people a suspect," he said.
White would not discuss a possible motive or more specific details about the crime, including whether she had defensive wounds, over concerns the disclosures could jeopardize the investigation.
"We have to be very, very cautious as to what information we share," he said. "There are some very intricate details about this case that, if revealed, could really damage what we're trying to accomplish. There are some facts that are known only to our suspect."
White also said that police would investigate an exclusive report from Fox News Digital that a pair of tires parked in the same complex were slashed over the weekend.
NEIGHBOR OF SLAIN DETROIT SYNAGOGUE LEADER REVEALS 2ND OMINOUS INCIDENT OVER WEEKEND
A slashed tire belonging to a neighbor of Samantha Woll in Detroit, Michigan. (Rebecca Rosenberg/Fox News Digital )
In the midst of heightened tensions over the Israel-Hamas War, many speculated that Woll was the victim of a hate crime.
She is an avid supporter of Israel and a prominent figure in the local Jewish community. As president of the Isaac Agree Downtown Detroit Synagogue, she spearheaded a massive renovation of the historic building.
Before taking on her leadership role at the synagogue, she had worked for Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin and on the re-election campaign of Attorney General Dana Nessel, both Democrats.
NYU STUDENT ADMITS TEARING DOWN ISRAELI HOSTAGE POSTERS, BLAMES ‘MISPLACED ANGER’
An exterior view of Samantha Woll’s apartment in Detroit, Michigan on Monday, Oct. 23, 2023. Woll was found stabbed to death outside her home last week. (Rebecca Rosenberg/Fox News Digital)
She co-founded the Muslim-Jewish Forum of Detroit, whose mission is to encourage a positive relationship between the two communities.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Michigan Democratic Congressman Rashida Tlaib, who has been a vocal critic of Israel, offered a tribute to Woll on Facebook.
"My friend, and a member of our organizing community, Sam Woll, was murdered. I have no words. She always had a sweet smile to offer and the warmest eyes to greet you. Our community is devastated and we are shocked," she wrote.
