A person of interest was taken into custody Friday in connection with last weekend’s brutal execution of a Detroit neurosurgeon, but the identity of the beloved doctor’s killer remains a mystery.
Detroit Police Chief James White announced that the person of interest was taken into custody, but he stopped short of calling the detainee a suspect in the death of Dr. Devon Hoover—who was found in the attic of his upscale home, wrapped in a plastic sheet with several gunshot wounds to his head.
“That person is there for an unrelated charge but we are confident that this person has information about what transpired,” White told a news conference.
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White added that the attack “was not a random act,” but did not elaborate. Authorities previously said there was no sign of forced entry at Hoover’s home in Detroit’s historic Boston-Edison District and that the slaying was likely “related to a domestic incident that turned deadly.”
Cops said they made their grisly discovery on Sunday after Hoover’s family in Indiana requested a welfare check when Hoover didn’t show for a planned event in his home state. Hoover’s car was later found abandoned on the other side of the city.
The news sparked an extraordinary outpouring of grief on social media from hundreds of former patients, colleagues, friends, and neighbors. A Facebook group titled Justice for Dr. Devon Hoover quickly eclipsed 2,500 members and became a place for loved ones to share stories about Hoover and agonize over the circumstances surrounding his death.
Many have speculated about who may have been behind the slaying, but family and authorities have remained mum about the 53-year-old’s personal life.
Hoover was a specialist in neck and back disorders at Ascension Healthcare at St. John Hospital and reportedly lived alone in a historic home that neighbors said he had lovingly restored. They spoke about his love for throwing neighborhood parties and keeping his home, and the yard around it, looking exquisite.
One of those neighbors, Ann Justice, told Local 4 News that Hoover was “just the nicest person.”
In a statement released Wednesday, Hoover’s family called him a “gift from God” who “used his talents to bless many.”
“We, the family of Devon Hoover, wish to express our profound sadness at the loss of a beloved son, brother, and uncle,” the statement said. “We grieve his untimely death and will miss him greatly. We are so grateful for the many words of kindness and stories from people who were touched by his life.”
