The president of a Detroit synagogue was found dead of a stabbing outside her home on Saturday morning, local media report.
Samantha Woll had led Isaac Agree Downtown Detroit 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 shared with NPR. “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.”
Authorities confirmed to NPR that a woman’s death was being investigated as a homicide, but did not identify the person killed.
Multiple stab wounds were found on the body, police said in a statement.
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.
The woman 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.
