By Staff, Agencies

Newly elected Herdecke mayor Iris Stalzer, 57, is in critical condition after being found with multiple stab wounds in her apartment on Tuesday, police said. No arrests have been made so far.

Stalzer, a Social Democrat and labor lawyer, won last month’s runoff election with 52.2% of the vote to become mayor of the North Rhine-Westphalian town. She was discovered by her 15-year-old adopted son, who reportedly told police she had been attacked by several men outside her home before managing to return indoors.

Local media outlet Bild reported that the boy was taken from the scene in handcuffs and wearing an evidence-preserving overall, a measure investigators said was meant to protect potential evidence. Her 17-year-old adopted daughter was also reportedly present during the incident.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned the stabbing as “a terrible deed,” expressing hope for Stalzer’s recovery and calling for a swift investigation.

Police have not identified any suspects or motive but confirmed a large-scale operation in Herdecke. Der Spiegel reported that authorities are also examining a previous domestic violence case from earlier this year, when Stalzer was allegedly attacked with a knife by her adopted daughter.

The assault comes amid a sharp rise in knife-related violence across North Rhine-Westphalia, where incidents have surged by over 50% since 2020, with public-space attacks more than doubling in five years — a trend mirrored across Germany.