Deadline to charge Samantha Woll person of interest nears

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(NewsNation) — It has been 52 days since Samantha Woll was murdered and nearly 48 hours since police arrested a person of interest but there are still no charges.

Under Michigan law, police have 48 hours after an arrest to charge someone or release them.

As the deadline approaches in Woll’s case, Detroit police issued a statement to NewsNation.

“The public must understand that in the context of complex homicide investigations, it is not unusual for there to be a number of suspects, persons of interest, investigative leads, and evidentiary follow-ups that must be thoroughly examined before investigators are ready to submit a warrant to the prosecutor’s office. In this case, new evidence surfaced with respect to this particular person of interest that necessitated their arrest at this time. At no time was the community in danger, as this person of interest was under continuous investigation. The person of interest was taken into custody within an hour of the new information surfacing because investigators were familiar with their whereabouts,” police said.

Woll was found stabbed to death outside her home in Detroit on Oct. 21. Police said they found no signs of forced entry at her home.

Woll was a leader in Detroit’s Jewish community, serving as president of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue. The timing of her death, shortly after the start of the Israel-Hamas war, led some to speculate her death was a hate crime, but police say there is no indication that was the case.

Police previously arrested and then released a suspect in November. No charges were filed.

For Woll’s family and friends, the lack of information is agonizing. Sam Dubin, with the Jewish Community Relations Council, said police have been tight-lipped to avoid compromising the investigation.

“If you can’t answer something, of course, that’s understandable,” Dubin said. “But sunlight is the best disinfectant and we truly believe that. We of course are appreciative of the police. We know that they’re on our side and that is why we so want them to keep us in the loop in their investigation.”