Police say no evidence of hate crime in killing of Detroit synagogue president

Michigan authorities said no evidence has surfaced that suggests the murder of a Detroit area synagogue president over the weekend is a hate crime. 

Samantha Woll, who led the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue in Detroit, was found stabbed to death outside of her home at about 6:30 a.m. Saturday. Police found a “trail of blood” leading to the inside of her home, where they believe the crime occurred.

Detroit Police Chief James E. White said Sunday that investigators are working with the FBI to analyze forensic evidence to piece together a timeline leading to Woll’s death, according to the Associated Press. 

Investigators are also interviewing “individuals with information that may further this investigation,” White said, adding that more information on Woll’s death will come out on Monday, the AP reported.

Woll, a native of Detroit, previously served as a staffer for Rep. Elissa Slotkin’s (D-Mich.) and for Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D). 

“I and all of Team Slotkin is heartbroken at this news,” Slotkin said in a Facebook post. “Sam worked for me from nearly the moment I became a Congresswoman, helping us set up the office & helping to lead it for my full first term.”

“My heart aches that we have lost someone so dedicated to serving others in such a senseless act,” Slotkin added. “I’ll miss her relentless desire to serve & her bright smile seemingly everywhere across the Detroit area.”

In a separate statement, Nessel expressed her condolences in Woll’s death.

“I am shocked, saddened and horrified to learn of Sam’s brutal 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,” Nessel wrote in a X, social media platform formerly known as Twitter, post on Saturday. 

“Sam truly used her faith and activism to create a better place for everyone.”