As police continued to investigate Detroit synagogue leader Samantha Woll’s brutal stabbing death, her family revealed at her Sunday funeral that Woll’s last text message was a heart sent to a friend, “just because.”
“You sent hearts to cheer people up and let them know you’re thinking of them — because you cared,” Woll’s sister, Monica Woll Rosen, told attendees at a heartbreaking funeral service just before the 40-year-old was laid to rest.
Rosen also told a story about a friend who received birthday flowers sent by Woll on the day she was killed — one of her last acts before her tragic demise.
“Happy birthday! Wishing you many, many, many more. You are the greatest gift of all. Love always and forever,” read the attached card, which Woll had signed as being from her and 10 others.
“That was you, Sam,” Rosen said. “You didn’t even ask. You just sent flowers and signed 10 other people’s names because you knew it would make the receiver happy — and the others would have wanted to say happy birthday if they knew it was your birthday.”
The stories were only two in a parade of many told by the family, friends and colleagues who spoke at Woll’s funeral about her selfless nature, unending positivity and love for her fellow people.
Detroit police found Woll’s body at about 6:30 a.m. Saturday when they responded to a 911 call about an unresponsive person outside her home in the city’s Lafayette Park neighborhood, according to several reports.
They also reportedly found a trail of blood that led from the suspected crime scene to her residence.
But two days later, there is still frustratingly little information about who murdered Woll — a politically connected activist who worked on several politicians’ campaigns — or why they did it.
Authorities have warned against jumping to conclusions, or assuming that her killing had anything to do with the burgeoning conflict between Israel and Hamas terrorists.
Detroit Police Chief James E. White said in an email that while cops are investigating, there is no evidence so far to suggest her killing her was motivated by antisemitism.
“I again ask the community to remain patient while our investigators and law enforcement partners continue their work,” White said in the statement Sunday. “Everything that can be done to bring this matter to closure is being called into service.”
Cops have promised another update Monday.
Woll had led the Isaac Agree Downtown Detroit Synagogue since 2022 and previously worked for Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin and on the re-election campaign of Attorney General Dana Nessel, both Democrats, the Detroit Free Press reported.
