57-year-old Iris Stalzer, who represents the Social Democratic SPD, was elected mayor of Herdecke as recently as September.
According to Bild, she was found stabbed and seriously injured in her home in Herdecke-Herrentisch when her son arrived there. At that time, she is reported to have said that she had been attacked by several men on the street.
Stalzer is said to have been stabbed several times. The search for the perpetrators is ongoing.
The town of Herdecke has approximately 23,000 inhabitants and is located in the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen, south of Dortmund in western Germany.
