New details are emerging in the case of a murdered prominent neurosurgeon in Detroit last weekend.
A welfare check was requested when Dr. Devon Hoover, 53, did not respond to calls or meet with family members in Indiana as expected last weekend. When Detroit police investigated, they found Hoover’s body in the attic of his home in the historic Boston-Edison District of Detroit.
Hoover was single and lived alone,
According to Fox2 Detroit, police found Hoover’s body wrapped in a sheet on Sunday evening — the notable neurosurgeon had been shot inside his home. Police have not revealed a motive or information on possible suspects.
Hoover’s employer, Ascension Health, told Fox News Digital, “Devon Hoover, MD, was a dedicated and well-respected member of the Ascension Michigan family and will be greatly missed by our community.”
The hospital added: “Our sincerest condolences and heartfelt prayers are with his family, friends, and fellow associates during this incredibly difficult time.”
Fox 2 reported that police recovered Hoover’s vehicle, apparently abandoned, several miles from his home and that no suspects have been arrested as of Thursday morning.
Authorities, however, have indicated the killing may be tied to a domestic dispute.
Fox News reported that many in the Detroit “community are stunned at Hoover’s death.”
A neighbor told Fox 2 Detroit: “That man was an angel. He was beautiful. Everybody was shocked. My phone has been blowing up all night; I was like, no, no, no.”
A former patient named Julia told WXYZ: “I went on Facebook, and I saw his picture and thought, oh, he must’ve gotten an award. So I put my glasses on, and my daughter was outside with the dog, and I just started screaming, ‘Oh, my God. Oh, my God.’”
Adam Walder remembered Hoover as a great physician, telling WXYZ. “Not only was he a fantastic surgeon but just a wonderful human being,”
Walder added: “Those three days in the hospital [after surgery], he’d come in the morning to check on you, call you after your discharge to check on you. You just don’t see that anymore.”
A relative, Winston Lechlitner wrote on Facebook: “I’m inspired by Uncle Devon’s kindness to everyone. It’s such a tragic loss and still many unknowns, and yet, I think these all dim in the reality of the fact that his life, even though ended too soon, positively impacted literally hundreds and hundreds, if not thousands, of people.”
