A mom in Michigan tragically died when she was stabbed in an “unprovoked attack” while taking a break outside of the Chipotle where she worked.
Authorities confirmed that Jaquoya Wix was killed on the afternoon of Sunday, September 20, after a man in his 40s approached her in an alley near the Chipotle in downtown Detroit and repeatedly stabbed her.
A man has been arrested for the attack, but investigators have not yet publicly named him.
Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield said in a statement that Wix, 34, was “taking a break” from her job when “an individual suffering from severe mental health issues” targeted her in “an unprovoked attack.”
“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 added of the victim.
Police said that the suspect approached Wix around 2:30 p.m. in an alley behind the restaurant when he repeatedly stabbed her with a knife, according to Macomb Daily.
Wix reportedly ran to a nearby business following the attack, where she collapsed. She was then transported to Detroit Receiving Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Authorities said that the suspect fled the scene on foot as he held onto the knife. Police used surveillance camera footage to locate the suspect, who was found about 20 minutes after the attack, according to WWJ. He was then taken into custody.
Despite confirming that the suspect was arrested, police have not yet announced whether he was formally charged or what he is expected to be charged with.
Following the fatal stabbing, the victim’s sister, Alicya Wix, created a GoFundMe page to help cover funeral expenses and to support her daughter.
“Her passing was sudden and devastating, and our family is now facing the pain of laying her to rest while also trying to protect her daughter, Kacya’s future,” Alicya wrote on the page. “Kacya has already lost so much. Her father passed away when she was a baby, and she has been living with her grandma.”
Alicya added that her “sister had been working hard to get her life together and was trying so hard to get on the right path.”
“She did not get the chance to keep moving forward or to be there for her daughter the way she was working toward,” she concluded.
A Chipotle spokesperson said that they were “cooperating fully” with investigators and “hope the individual responsible is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
“We are deeply saddened by the senseless act of violence that occurred today in downtown Detroit,” Laurie Schalow, the company’s chief corporate affairs and food safety officer, said in a statement, per WXYZ. “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of those affected, as well as our Woodward Avenue restaurant team, during this incredibly difficult time.”
