Samantha Woll (Linkedin photo)
Detroit Police said Wednesday they have arrested a suspect in the murder of Samantha Woll, who was president of the Isaac Agree Downtown synagogue.
"The details of the investigation will remain confidential at this time to ensure the integrity of the important steps that remain," Chief James White said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Investigators will be continuing their work with the Wayne County Prosecutors Office until the conclusion of this investigation."
The suspect was arrested Tuesday night in Kalamazoo, a Detroit police source confirmed Wednesday to The Detroit News. Authorities generally have 48 hours after the arrest to file charges or they have to release the suspect, unless they can show a compelling reason to hold the person longer.
Woll, 40, was found stabbed to death outside her home in the Lafayette Park neighborhood in Detroit, just east of I-75, on the Saturday morning of Oct. 21. Police believe she was stabbed inside and then stumbled outside and collapsed.
They said there were no signs of forced entry, and she had attended a wedding the night before. On Sunday, Oct. 22, about a half hour after her funeral, police announced that they had found no evidence antisemitism linked to the Middle East war.
Immediately after news surfaced of the death, people around the world speculated that the death might be a hate crime related to the Israel-Hamas war.
Born and raised in Metro Detroit, she was described during the service as a person with artistic talent in areas like painting and jewelry making, and someone passionate about the city of Detroit and the outdoors.
She was involved in local, state, and national politics, and worked on campaigns for Democrats, Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin, state Sen. Stephanie Chang and Attorney General Dana Nessel. She was also described as someone who worked to unite people.
