Samantha Woll updates: Mystery suspect arrested for Detroit murder

The community created a fundraiser in honour of Samantha Woll

Samantha Woll was a wonderful soul who spent her whole life working to uplift others and build bridges across communities. She was a Metro-Detroit native and brought people together. She helped build bridges and advocated for peace and dialogue between different social, political, and religious groups.

Sam was so passionate about unity and bringing people from different faiths together. She believed that by having important – and sometimes difficult – conversations, we could empathize and better understand each other. We could bring more harmony into the world.

WATCH: Rep Elissa Slotkin, Woll’s former boss, talk about the tragedy

Neighbours share freaky incident that occurred right before Woll’s murder

A neighbour, who asked not to be named, told Fox News that her car was parked just 200 feet away from Woll’s home — and she and her husband have since notified law enforcement. When asked about the incident as he delivered updates on Monday, Chief White said that his office would be investigating the reports and whether it is connected to Woll’s murder.

A spokesperson for the Detroit Police Department told The Independent on Tuesday that there are no updates in that regard.

“It’s very family friendly here …,” the woman said, noting that she and her husband have lived in the neighbourhood for three decades. “There are a lot of families and playgrounds. We’ve been down here since 1992 and nothing like this has ever happened. Something this violent, it’s scary.”

A motive in Woll’s murder has yet to be established. The possibility of a home invasion has been ruled out.

Detroit police corporal Dan Donakowski said during an update on Sunday that Woll’s death is being investigated as a homicide but there is no evidence suggesting the murder was a hate crime. He said that investigators had found a large Israeli flag in Woll’s home that was left untouched, according to ClickOnDetroit.

Chief White said on 23 October that his department is seeking a suspect believed to have acted alone, and noted he didn’t think there was a threat to the community at large. He also asked the public to be patient and not jump to conclusions as evidence is reviewed and processed.

“We are not in the position to discuss [details,]” Chief White said. “There are certain factors that are only shared by the suspect and our investigators.”

Authorities have asked anyone with information to reach investigators at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.

Michigan State Sen Stephanie Chang issued a statement following Woll’s death

What we know about the stabbing

Weeks after Woll’s stabbing, mystery is still swirling around exactly what happened. It seems we know more about what didn’t happen in this case than exactly what did.

Detroit Police Chief James White said there was no forced entry at the home of Samantha Woll, who was murdered on 21 October.

She is believed to have been attacked between 12.30am and 6.30am, when her body was found.

Investigators have also dismissed the idea that her murder was a hate crime, citing a large Israeli flag in her home that was still intact.

What we know about the suspect

Authorities announced on Wednesday that they had taken a suspect into custody — but they did not name the person, nor did they release the charges.

On Thursday, ClickOnDetroit reported that the suspect was a man.

Detroit Police Chief James White told the outlet that his team will “go where the evidence takes us.”

“I don’t want to characterize this as a complete investigation,” he said of the arrest. “We’ve got a lot of work to do and we’re gonna do it.”

On Wednesday, authorities announced they took someone into custody — no other details, including charges, have been released.

Under Michigan law, a suspect can only be detained for 72 hours. This adds some pressure onto the police, who are already not on favourable terms with the public.

Many social media users have accused the investigators of moving too slowly — Woll’s fatal stabbing occurred on 21 October — and of not being transparent enough.

WATCH: Suspect arrested in connection to synagogue president Samantha Woll’s death

A disturbing incident occurred just before Woll’s death, neighbours reveal

Neighbours of Woll have since come forward with reports that the two driver-side tires on their white Mercedes were slashed when they returned home on Sunday after leaving town for the weekend.

“It’s very family friendly here …,” the woman said, noting that she and her husband have lived in the neighbourhood for three decades. “There are a lot of families and playgrounds. We’ve been down here since 1992 and nothing like this has ever happened. Something this violent, it’s scary.”