DETROIT — Jaquoya Wix was taking a break from her shift at a Chipotle restaurant in downtown Detroit when she was attacked in an alley near Woodward Avenue on Sunday afternoon.
Wix, 34, was approached by a man at about 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 20, police said. Investigators said the man pulled out a knife and stabbed her multiple times before running from the area.
Despite being seriously wounded, Wix managed to reach a nearby business seeking help. She later collapsed outside, where people in the area attempted to assist her. Emergency crews took her to Detroit Receiving Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Police said the suspect was arrested roughly 20 minutes after the stabbing. Investigators used downtown surveillance cameras and other technology to track him down. Authorities said the knife used in the attack was not found on the suspect when he was taken into custody, although investigators believe they located the weapon and were processing it as evidence.
Police have not publicly said that Wix knew the suspect. Based on the information available to investigators, there appeared to have been very little interaction between the two before the stabbing.
Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield described the incident as an unprovoked attack and said Wix was a mother whose 15-year-old daughter attends school in Detroit.
Family remembers Wix as a devoted mother
As investigators continued working on the case, Wix’s family and members of the downtown community gathered Monday evening for a candlelight vigil outside the Chipotle where she worked.
Her sister, Alycia Wix, said the family was struggling to accept how quickly their lives had changed. Family members described Jaquoya as caring, outgoing and proud of her work. She had been employed at the Woodward Avenue restaurant for about a year and a half and was reportedly hoping to move into a management position.
Her aunt, Anna Solis, said Wix’s daughter was her greatest priority.
The 15-year-old is now facing the loss of her mother as the family continues to make funeral arrangements and plan for her future.
People who did not know Wix also attended the vigil, joining relatives, friends and downtown restaurant workers to remember her. Candles and flowers were left outside the restaurant.
The attack has also prompted renewed discussion about safety around downtown alleys and the support available to people experiencing serious mental-health problems. Those issues remain part of the broader conversation surrounding the case, while investigators continue to establish the circumstances that preceded the stabbing.
Investigation continues
The suspect remains in custody, but authorities have not publicly detailed the charges he will face or announced a motive for the killing.
Investigators are continuing to review evidence, including surveillance footage and information from people who were in the area at the time.
Chipotle said it was cooperating with the investigation and expressed condolences to Wix’s family, friends and the employees at the Woodward Avenue restaurant.
For Wix’s family, however, the focus has shifted from the circumstances of her death to the life she leaves behind. Relatives and friends gathered this week to remember a mother, sister and daughter whose routine work break ended in a tragedy that has left her family and the downtown Detroit community mourning.
