Overview

• Iris Stalzer, 57, the newly elected SPD mayor of Herdecke, is in life-threatening condition with reportedly 13 stab wounds to the abdomen and back.
• Her son discovered her inside the apartment after she had reportedly been attacked on the street by several men.
• A homicide commission has opened an investigation and launched a manhunt, with a large police operation underway and the suspects on the run.
• Authorities say the motive remains undetermined, and investigators are considering both political and personal angles.
• Stalzer won the September 28 runoff with 52.2% of the vote to lead the town of about 22,500 residents in North Rhine-Westphalia.