Detroit police have said there is no evidence to suggest that Michigan synagogue leader Samantha Woll was murdered because she was Jewish, as they revealed an untouched Israel flag was found at her home.
Woll, 40, was a prominent leader in Detroit’s Jewish community and had served as the president of the Isaac Agree Downtown Detroit Synagogue since 2022.
She was found fatally stabbed outside her home on Saturday morning. Detectives have not identified a suspect and said ‘no evidence has surfaced’ that the lethal attack was fueled by antisemitism.
Her body was reportedly discovered after someone traced a ‘trail of blood’ to her home, where police believe she was killed. There were no signs of a forced entry or any defensive wounds on Woll, according to police.
Detectives found an untouched Israeli flag at the home, leading them to believe the attack was not anti-Semitic.
Detroit police have said there is no evidence to suggest that Michigan synagogue leader Samantha Woll was murdered because she was Jewish
Woll, 40, was found brutally stabbed to death outside her home on Saturday morning
Woll was laid to rest by her family and loved ones on Sunday afternoon
‘The investigation into the death of Ms. Woll remains ongoing,’ chief James E. White said on Sunday. ‘At this time, however, no evidence has surfaced suggesting that this crime was motivated by antisemitism.’
White also asked the public not to draw quick conclusions. While it’s unclear if this was a hate attack, the shocking ordeal comes amid historic unrest in Israel and Gaza – and just days after the murder of a Muslim boy in Chicago.
Investigators are working with the FBI to analyze all of the information obtained up to this point and figure out the timeline ‘that ultimately led to Ms. Woll’s death,’ White added.
The Detroit Police Department is expected to provide an update on their investigation on Monday.
Woll was known for her work within her community and with several Democratic politicians, including Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin.
Woll was laid to rest by her family and loved ones on Sunday afternoon.
In a heart-wrenching speech delivered by her younger sister, Woll was commemorated for being selfless and loving.
There was ‘literally not anyone more caring or thoughtful than you,’ said her sister Monica.
‘If someone complimented something of yours you would take it off and give it to them. Your soul was beautiful and pure – you never said no, but ‘how can I help?’
‘You loved my kids as your own … you were my older sister, you taught me, protected me, loved me with all your heart,’ she said.
Woll was tragically pronounced dead at the scene outside her home after suffering multiple stab wounds
‘You so deeply wanted peace for this world. You fought for everyone, regardless of who they were, or were they came from. Your last text message was to a friend – just a heart, to cheer them up.
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‘Sam I feel like I’m about to wake up from a horrible nightmare, and you will be hugging me and holding me. This was not supposed to happen.’
Her devastated sibling concluded: ‘I promise to take care of mom and dad, always, we love you so much.’
Woll was remembered for her commitment to justice and equity.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, on whose campaign Woll worked, eulogized her friend and colleague saying that Sam was someone who was ‘always prepared’ and was the ‘Gary to my Selina Meyer,’ a reference to the HBO comedy VEEP.
‘Sam was all things to all people … her warmth could persuade even the hardest heart of the loudest heckler’ to reconsider an opinion.
Through tears, Nessel said: ‘Samantha Woll may have been the nicest person who I have ever met, or who I will ever meet in my lifetime.
‘Her killer will not rob us of the memory of her joy and warmth … and we always will thank God for allowing Sam to have touched our lives the way that she did.’
Tributes quickly poured in for the religious leader, who was noted for her work building bridges between the Jewish and Muslim communities, as her synagogue expressed shock at her sudden, ‘unexpected’ passing.
‘At this point we do not have more information, but will share more when it becomes available,’ her synagogue said.
‘May her memory be a blessing.’
Woll was named in the Detroit Jewish News’ ’36 under 36′ list in 2017, which described her as a ‘social justice and political activist’.
‘She was instrumental in the founding of the Muslim-Jewish Forum of Detroit — a grassroots collective of young adults of both faiths who gather in partnership to learn, celebrate and build community together,’ the glowing profile read.
Michigan Attorney General Danal Nessel paid a heartbreaking tribute to Woll (pictured together), where she said the Jewish leader was ‘as kind a person as I’ve ever known’
Michigan has one of the largest Muslim populations per capita in the United States, according to the World Population Review.
Investigators have not indicated any link to the conflict in the Middle East, but it comes just days after US Attorney General Merrick Garland warned that Muslim and Jewish people are at an increased risk of threats and hate crimes due to the situation.
The fatal stabbing has also come just a week after Palestinian-American boy Wadea Al-Fayoume, 6, was stabbed to death in Illinois.
In a statement after the Jewish leaders’ death, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who Woll had also worked for on her re-election campaign, said she was ‘shocked, saddened and horrified’ at the ‘murder.’
‘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,’ Nessel said on X.
Anyone with information on Woll’s murder has been asked to call the Homicide Section at 313-596-2260.
