THE president of a synagogue in the US city of Detroit, Samantha Woll, has been found stabbed to death in a park not far from her home.
Police said they responded to a call in the Lafayette Park area on Saturday and found the victim unresponsive, but they believe she was killed at home.
They have been searching the area with dogs but there is no information about who carried out the killing, or why.
No evidence has yet suggested that the motive was antisemitism, police added.
Officials paid tribute to Ms Woll as “one of Detroit’s great young leaders”.
Michigan State Attorney General Dana Nessel wrote on X that she was “shocked and horrified to learn of Sam’s brutal murder”.
And state governor Gretchen Whitmer described the murder as a “vicious crime”.
“She was a source of light, a beacon in her community who worked hard to make Michigan a better place,” she said in a statement.
Sam Dubin, assistant director of the Jewish Community Relations Council, told the BBC’s US partner CBS that Ms Woll “always had the biggest smile on”.
“Whatever you were thinking or doing before, talking with Sam allowed you to put the nonsense of the world aside for just a moment,” he said.
In a statement released on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday, Detroit Police Chief James White said an investigation into Ms Woll’s death was ongoing.
“At this time, however, no evidence has surfaced suggesting that this crime was motivated by antisemitism,” he said.
He added that investigators from the Detroit Police Department are working with the FBI, and some people “with information” are being interviewed.
“I again ask the community to remain patient while our investigators and law enforcement partners continue their work.”