A funeral for Samantha Woll—the president of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue in Detroit who was killed Saturday—was scheduled for Sunday afternoon outside of the city, the Associated Press reported.
Police tape blocks access near the scene where Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue president, Samantha ... [+]
Woll was found dead after being stabbed at her home on Saturday morning, though authorities are still investigating a potential motive.
Detroit Police Chief James E. White asked the public Saturday to not draw conclusions about Woll’s death and said the department was examining all evidence and had “been leveraging every law enforcement and community resource it has to help further the investigation,” according to the Detroit Free Press.
Woll was also an active Democrat, working as an aide to Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), a political director for Attorney General Dana Nessel and a campaign manager for a number of other candidates, according to a LinkedIn page associated with Woll.
Forbes has reached out to the Detroit Police for more information.
In this photo released by Kimberly Bush, Samantha Woll, left, poses with Michigan Attorney General ... [+]
Detroit Police said an update on the investigation into Woll’s death would be “forthcoming” on Saturday night, though there was no new information shared as of 11 a.m. Sunday morning.
Woll’s death was reported amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and concerns around increased threats of violence toward Jewish Americans. Last Thursday, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said he told “all 94 of our United States Attorney's offices and the FBI” to be in close contact with all levels of law enforcement partners in response to the war, ABC News reported. The FBI said in a statement Wednesday it had seen “an increase in reports of threats against Jewish, Muslim and Arab communities and institutions” as the Israel-Hamas war progresses, adding that members of the public are encouraged “to immediately report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement.” The report of increased threats of violence came after a 71-year-old man was charged after allegedly stabbing a six-year-old and his mother—killing the young boy—“due to them being Muslim and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis.”
In a statement posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, the Michigan chapter of the Anti-Defamation League said it was “shocked and deeply saddened” by Woll’s death. “As we mourn her tragic passing, we urge the community to refrain from speculation and allow law enforcement to gather facts,” the statement said.