Woman Stabbed Weeks Before She's Set to Become Mayor — And Says Her Daughter Is Responsible By Sean Neumann

The newly elected mayor of a western German town is recovering after being found stabbed at her home on Tuesday afternoon, as the investigation has reportedly zeroed in on her teenage daughter.

Iris Stalzer was found stabbed in her home shortly after noon local time. Her 17-year-old daughter had called an emergency number and told a dispatcher that her mother was stabbed outside in an alleged armed robbery, according to The Associated Press, Reuters, and The New York Times.

Stalzer, 57, was reported to be in critical condition on Tuesday night but local authorities have since said she is out of danger, according to the AP. 

The mother of two had recently been elected as the new mayor of Herdecke, located in western Germany roughly 10 miles south of Dortmund, late last month. Stalzer, a member of the Social Democratic Party, was set to take office on Nov. 1, according to the AP.

The outlet reported that Stalzer told police during an interview at the hospital that her daughter was the person who stabbed her. Local authorities have yet to confirm the allegation, while they’ve also not revealed a motive in the alleged attack.

Police found Stalzer sitting in a chair with stab wounds after officers responded to the family’s home on Tuesday, the AP reported. Reuters reported that Stalzer had stab wounds to the neck and abdomen, and that she was airlifted to a local hospital for emergency care.

Stalzer’s son reportedly told police that multiple men had attacked his mother outside the family’s home, according to Reuters. 

However, police determined that the attack happened inside the family’s home, according to the AP. Both Stalzer’s daughter and her son, 15, were taken in for questioning, the outlet reported.

Local police investigator Jens Rautenberg declined to comment on a motive for the stabbing, according to the AP, though officials have indicated they are investigating family members’ connection to the alleged stabbing.

“Close family involvement cannot be ruled out at the present time,” local prosecutors and police said in a joint statement on Wednesday, according to Reuters.

Politicians across Germany swiftly condemned the attack, as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz wrote on social media that he hopes “for her complete recovery,” according to a translation of a post made Wednesday. “My thoughts are with her family and her relatives,” the chancellor wrote.