Woman stabbed to death in downtown Detroit alley while on a break from work, police say

A woman was stabbed to death in an alley in downtown Detroit Sunday afternoon while she was on a break from her job at a nearby business, police said.

Jaquoya Wix, 34, was fatally stabbed Sunday while on break, Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield said in a statement. 

"She was a mother with a 15-year-old daughter who attends school in Detroit, who loved her and has suffered the immeasurable loss of her mom," Sheffield said. "My thoughts and prayers are with the family of Jaquoya and our city grieves with her family during this incredibly difficult time."

The attack happened near the Chipotle on Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit around 2:30 p.m.

Police said Wix encountered a man in the alley, and that he approached her, pulled out a knife and stabbed her multiple times. She ran to a nearby business and collapsed outside, police said, and the man ran off through the alley. An employee at a nearby business saw the man with a weapon and chased him, but the man got away before officers arrived.

Investigators said they used cameras and other technology downtown to find him about 20 minutes later, and he was taken into custody. Police said the man did not have the knife used in the stabbing on him, but investigators believe the weapon has been found and are processing it.

Police have not said whether Wix and the man knew each other, but Sheffield said it appeared to be an unprovoked attack by a person "suffering from severe mental health issues. Investigators said that based on what they know so far, there was very little interaction between the two before the stabbing.

Officers were still at the scene Sunday, searching for more evidence and interviewing people.