DETROIT —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.

Officials paid tribute to 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 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.

Police added that they would provide more information on Sunday but warned against drawing conclusions before the facts were established. — BBC