A newly elected mayor in western Germany was hospitalized in critical condition on Tuesday after being found with multiple stab wounds, local authorities said.

Iris Stalzer , 57, dragged herself back into her house after being stabbed around midday, broadcaster WDR reported. Bild newspaper said she had stab wounds to her neck and abdomen.

Prosecutors and police said in a joint statement their inquiry was looking into every possibility and said: “Close family involvement cannot be ruled out at the present time.”

DPA news agency reported that her son and daughter, aged 15 and 17, had been taken in for questioning. Stalzer was airlifted to hospital and was still in intensive care, the authorities’ statement said.

Bild cited investigators saying her son had told police his mother had be

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