Idaho murders – live: Father says victims’ ‘means of death’ do not match as investigation frustration grows
Three weeks after four University of Idaho students were found murdered at their off-campus home, police are yet to identify any suspects.
On 13 November, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin were found fatally stabbed.
Moscow police said on Saturday that they had received over 2,645 emails, 2,770 calls, 1,084 digital media submissions and 4,000 crime scene photos. But officials pointed out that “at this time, no suspect has been identified”.
Steven Goncalves, the father of Kaylee Goncalves, said that “their means of death don’t match.”
Two surviving roommates Dylan Mortenson and Bethany Funke who were asleep on the first floor of the house have made public statements on the murders for the first time.
Meanwhile, police revealed that a sixth person may also have lived at the home where the students were murdered.
“Detectives are aware of a sixth person listed on the lease at the residence but do not believe that individual was present during the incident,” the department said.
Now, 21 days into the investigation, the killer is still at large and detectives are wrapping up their work at the crime scene.
Key points
Three weeks after murder, no suspects identified
Two roommates who survived stabbing frenzy break their silence
Devastated parents speak at vigil for slain Idaho students
Prosecutor admits it ‘could be while’ before killer is caught
Father of Kaylee Goncalves says students’ ‘means of death’ do not match
Father of Idaho victim says his daughter may have been prime target
10:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The grieving father of one of the four slain University of Idaho students said his daughter and her best friend may have been prime victims as the perpetrators ‘chose to go upstairs’ where they were sleeping.
Mr Goncalves said the entry point was the middle floor. “So, to me, he doesn’t have to go upstairs. His entry and exit are available without having to go upstairs or downstairs,” he added.
“Looks like he probably may have not gone downstairs. We don’t know that for sure, but he obviously went upstairs. So I’m using logic that he chose to go up there when he didn’t have to.”
Read more here.
Idaho murders: Father of victim says his daughter may have been prime target
Sixth person may have also lived at house where students were killed
10:10 , Rachel Sharp
A sixth person may have also lived in the house where four University of Idaho students were stabbed to death, it has now been revealed.
Moscow Police said in a statement that a sixth individual is listed on the lease for the three-storey home but that investigators “do not believe that individual was present during the incident”.
The identity of that person has not been publicly released and it is not clear when they lived at the property.
Rachel Sharp reports.
Sixth person may have also lived at house where Idaho students were murdered
Rumours and conspiracy theories ruled out by investigators
09:50 , Rachel Sharp
Nearly three weeks have passed since four University of Idaho students were brutally stabbed to death in the small college town of Moscow – with no suspects identified, no arrests made and the murder weapon nowhere to be found.
Despite multiple law enforcement agencies being drafted in to work on the case, police appear to be no closer to catching the killer, leaving students and residents of the notoriously safe town racked by fear and social media awash with speculation.
While officials are remaining tightlipped about key parts of the investigation including why they believe the murders were targeted, they have debunked several online rumours and ruled out potential ties to the killings.
This is what police have ruled out so far:
Idaho college murders: The rumours and conspiracy theories ruled out
What happened in the Idaho murder victims’ final hours
09:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
It could have been anyone, in any US college town, on any Saturday night. That’s how typical the murdered students’ behaviour was in Moscow, Idaho, just hours before they were brutally stabbed to death.
The University of Idaho campus had been busy that day, a sea of gold and silver as the Vandals prepared for a home game against the UC Davis Aggies in the 16,000-seat Kibbie Dome.
It was 28 degrees at kickoff – the weather was listed as a daunting “ice fog” – but happy, loyal fans turned out; the Vandals’ 44-26 loss was disappointing but did not deter the students from preparing to hit the town.
Sheila Flynn reports from Moscow.
Campus to club to crime scene: Final hours of Idaho college murder victims
11 questions that could hold the key to solving the Idaho murders
09:00 , Oliver O'Connell
Every individual connected to the case so far – from two surviving roommates to a victim’s former boyfriend – has been publicly ruled out by police, leaving an echo chamber with no names to fill it.
Details about the murders that shook the small college town of Moscow, Idaho, remain scant, the murder weapon is nowhere to be found and there are huge gaps in the timeline of the last known movements of two of the victims.
Investigators have admitted that they are stumped by the killings in the small, notoriously safe college town and still have no suspects or persons of interest on their radar. For the past 17 days, officials have given little in the way of updates on the case – this silence and absence of information only serving to trigger an avalanche of online rumours and conspiracy theories among internet sleuths.
While police won’t say what they do know, they have resorted to debunking some of these online theories that they know to be incorrect.
But, with each piece of information revealed or each theory debunked, dozens more questions emerge about the case.
Here, The Independent takes a deep dive into the mountain of unsolved questions – and the scant details we do know.
These 11 questions could hold the key to solving the Idaho murders
Father of Idaho murder victim was asked to fix lock at home
08:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Cara Denise Northington, mother of murder victim Xana Kernodle, revealed in a phone interview with NewsNation that her daughter’s father had worked on the locks at the home prior to the killings.
Speaking with anchor Ashleigh Banfield, Ms Northington said she believed her daughter’s bedroom door had a lock and the Jeff Kernodle had visited the Moscow, Idaho, house a week before Xana’s death to fix a lock.
It is unclear whether it was the lock on the bedroom door or one of the house’s external doors.
Father of Idaho murder victim fixed lock at home in week before the killings
Surviving flatmates break their silence
08:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Two University of Idaho students who survived a quadruple homicide at their Moscow home shared memories of their slain friends in their first public statements.
Dylan Mortenson and Bethany Funke were asleep on the first floor of their student rental house when their three roommates Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, and Xana Kernodle, along with Kernodle’s boyfriend Ethan Chapin, were stabbed to death on 13 November.
At a memorial held in Post Falls, a youth pastor from Real Life Ministries shared a letter written by Ms Mortenson, according to the Idaho Statesman.
She described Kernodle, 20, as the “life of the party”, adding she was “strong, intelligent, hardworking” and beautiful.Ms Mortenson said she looked up to Chapin, 20, like an older brother, and described in glowing terms the love that the two had for each other.
Bevan Hurley reports.
Idaho college murders: The rumours and conspiracy theories ruled out
Could the murders be related to other incidents?
07:30 , Oliver O'Connell
The warning on 12 September, described as a “Threat with Knife”, reported that a group of students had been walking through the campus when the man threatened them with a knife.
The assailant was described as a white male aged 18 to 22 years old, who was dressed in all black. No one was harmed in the incident but officials felt the need to alert students and staff to the threat.
“Detectives are aware of a Latah County Sheriff’s Office incident of the report of a skinned dog and have determined it is unrelated to this incident,” a Moscow Police Department spokesperson told The Independent.
Police also said that an incident in which two young females reported that a male had broken inside their car is not believed to be linked to the murders.
“Multiple neighbors heard the girls screaming and came to assist. They checked the area but did not find anyone. The neighbors told responding officers that they had not seen anyone in or exit the vehicle,” a post by Moscow Police detailed.
The case was closed as unfounded, meaning that the incident cannot be substantiated.
Investigators had also explored the possibility that the quadruple murders might have been connected to a 2021 unsolved stabbing murder 400 miles away, but have since said there is no link between the crimes.
Travis Juetten, 26, and Jamilyn Juetten, 24, were attacked in their home in Salem, Oregon, by a masked assailant who broke in armed with a knife, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said at the time.
Mr Juetten tried to fight off the attacker but was stabbed to death while his wife miraculously survived. Despite the victims’ families putting up a $50,000 reward for information leading to the killer, more than one year on, the case remains unsolved.
Similarities were drawn between the stabbings and the slayings of Goncalves, Mogen, Kernodle and Chapin.
Chief Fry had confirmed that the Oregon killing was on their radar, before issuing a statement on Friday saying that the department had not found relevant evidence that the cases were connected.
“While these cases share similarities ... there does not appear to be any evidence to support the cases are related,” the statement read.
In an exclusive interview with The Independent, Juetten’s mother said that finding out who killed her son – and also catching the killer of the slain students in Idaho – would be “the best Christmas present ever”.
What we don’t know: Authorities have not confirmed or ruled out that the incident on campus in September could be linked to the murders.
They also haven’t revealed what evidence made them rule out the incident in which the dog was filleted.
It is unknown whether Moscow authorities have reached out to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office to obtain first-hand accounts about the investigation into Juetten’s murder.
Woman exposed as ‘fake reporter’ at Idaho murders press conference
07:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
At a press conference conducted by the Moscow police department on 23 November, a woman who identified herself as Destiny Martin with The Pathfinder, the student newspaper at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, was exposed after she asked if the suspect was female.
She asked if the FBI’s Behavior Analysis Unit agents had a “working profile” of the suspect and whether police had “ruled out the possibility that the killer might be a female”.
In a Facebook statement, The Pathfinder later said that the woman was not affiliated with the newspaper.
Sravasti Dasgupta has more.
Idaho murders: Two flatmates who survived stabbing frenzy break their silence
Chilling reason one family didn’t hold a funeral for daughter
06:30 , Oliver O'Connell
The father of one of the four University of Idaho students stabbed to death says his family will not give her a funeral for fear that the “monster” who murdered her might attend.
Graeme Massie reports.
Idaho murder victim’s father reveals chilling reason family didn’t hold a funeral
Kaylee Goncalves’s father says suspect ‘chose to go’ upstairs
06:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Steven Goncalves, the father of slain 21-year-old Kaylee Goncalves, said he believes the perpetrator “chose to go” upstairs where his daughter and her best friend Madison Mogen were sleeping on the same bed.
Authorities said the killer entered the house through a second-floor glass door or window which meets a hill on the ground level in the backyard.
Mr Goncalves told Fox &Friends: “His entry and exit are available without having to go upstairs or downstairs. Looks like he probably may have not gone downstairs.
“We don’t know that for sure, but he obviously went upstairs. So I’m using logic that he chose to go up there when he didn’t have to.”
Mother of victim says she learns more from news
05:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Cara Denise Northington, mother of Xana Kernodle, broke her silence three weeks after the death of her daughter by slamming the pace of the police investigation into the slaying of four students.
“There is so much more that can be done that has not been done,” she told NewsNation.Ms Northington added that the police “haven’t said anything”.
“I learn more on the news and on TV than what they have said to me.”
Oliver O’Connell reports.
Mother of Idaho murder victim hits out at police saying she learns more from news
Father of Idaho murder victim was previously asked to fix locks at home
05:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Cara Denise Northington, the mother of murder victim Xana Kernodle, revealed that her daughter’s father had worked on the locks at the home prior to the killings.
In an interview with NewsNation, Ms Northington said she believed her daughter’s bedroom door had a lock and that Jeff Kernodle had visited the Moscow, Idaho, house a week before Xana’s death to fix a lock.
It is unclear whether it was the lock on the bedroom door or one of the house’s external doors.
Ms Banfield also reported that a former tenant said that his bedroom at the house had a coded lock on the door – as did every bedroom in the house.
Oliver O’Connell has more.
Father of Idaho murder victim fixed lock at home in week before the killings
A killer still at-large
04:30 , Sheila Flynn, Rachel Sharp and Andrea Blanco
What we know: Backtracking from previous comments, Moscow police have confirmed that there is still a threat as the killer remains at large.
Asked at a press conference days after the killings how he could be sure there was no danger, Chief Fry said: “That’s kind of unknown... we still believe it’s a targeted attack, but the reality is, there’s still a person out there who committed horrible, horrible crimes.
“So there is a threat out there still, possibly. We don’t know it’s going to be to anybody else. But we all have to be aware of our surroundings and make sure that we’re watching out for each other.”
“They don’t have an identified suspect, and they still don’t have a motive, so until you have those two extremely vital pieces you can’t set the public’s mind at ease,” Mr Giacalone told Fox
What we don’t know: Authorities have not revealed whether they believe the perpetrator has left Moscow already.
Father says Kaylee Goncalves died in same bed as her best friend
04:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The grieving father of Kaylee Goncalves revealed that his daughter died in the same bed as her life-long best friend.
Steve Goncalves, whose 21-year-old daughter was stabbed to death back on 13 November, gave a heartbreaking speech at a vigil for the victims, where he said it gave him comfort to learn that she was with best friend Madison Mogen until the very end.
Mr Goncalves told how the “absolutely beautiful” young women first met in sixth grade and became inseparable.“They just found each other, and every day they did homework together, they came to our house together, they shared everything,” he said.
“Then they started looking at colleges, they came here together. They eventually get into the same apartment together.”
Rachel Sharp reports.
Murdered Idaho student died in same bed as her best friend, father reveals
Neighbour slams internet sleuths who claimed his media appearances were suspicious
03:30 , Oliver O'Connell
A neighbour of the four Idaho murder victims has blasted internet sleuths who claimed that his media appearances were suspicious.
In a recent interview, Jeremy Reagan, a third-year law student from the Idaho University, said he went to bed early the night the murders took place. However, Reddit sleuths are finding his statements suspicious.
Maroosha Muzaffar has the story.
Neighbour hits out at Reddit sleuths who claim his media appearances were suspicious
Investigation focused on two areas of interest
02:30 , Sheila Flynn, Rachel Sharp and Andrea Blanco
What we know: Investigators are currently seeking surveillance footage from “two areas of interest” around the city of Moscow as they hunt for the knife-wielding assailant.
Businesses and homes within the geographical areas are being asked to share all outside surveillance video taken between 3am and 6am on 13 November – whether there appears to be motion and content or not.
The areas include: West Taylor Ave (north boundary), West Palouse River Dr (south boundary), Highway 95 south to the 2700 block of Highway 95 S (east boundary) and Arboretum & Botanical Garden (west boundary).
“Investigators have determined the two areas of interest within the city and have provided maps which are on our Facebook page and on our website,” Captain Lanier said on Sunday.
“And these are areas that they have canvassed for additional surveillance video and tips and have contacted several residents in the areas.”
What we don’t know: Police have not revealed why they are honing in on those particular areas of the city.
The highway and arboretum are around the route that Kernodle and Chapin are likely to have taken to get from Sigma Chi to the off-campus home.
Former resident of home explains how surviving roommates may not have heard killings
01:30 , Oliver O'Connell
A former tenant of the home where four University of Idaho students were brutally stabbed to death has given insight into why two surviving roommates might have not heard the attack.
Moscow Police’s announcement early in the investigation into the slayings of the four college students that two roommates had been in the home during the violent murders but were not “necessarily considered witnesses” raised questions about how they were seemingly able to sleep through it.
Andrea Blanco reports.
Former tenant of Idaho murders house tells why roommates may not have heard killings
Did Kaylee Goncalves have a stalker?
00:30 , Sheila Flynn, Rachel Sharp and Andrea Blanco
What we know: Moscow Police Department said that they had found out through interviews that Goncalves had complained of a stalker.
What we don’t know: Despite “looking extensively” into concerns raised by people who knew Goncalves that she had complained about a stalker, police were unable to confirm those reports, the department has said.
“We obtained information through some of our interviews that Kaylee had made some comments about having a stalker, so that’s where that came from,” Captain Lanier said.
“So far we have not been able to corroborate that, but we are not done looking at that piece of information.”
Investigation of murder house ending... with still no sign of killer
Sunday 4 December 2022 23:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Police in Idaho are wrapping up the investigation at the house where four University of Idaho students were brutally murdered – despite the killer still being at large and officials appearing to be no closer to solving the crime.
Rachel Sharp reports.
Idaho investigation of murder house coming to end – despite no signs of killer
The sequence of the events on the night of the murders
Sunday 4 December 2022 22:30 , Sheila Flynn, Rachel Sharp and Andrea Blanco
What we know: Despite more details becoming available in the two weeks since the murders took place, key pieces of what happened in the early morning hours of 13 November remain missing.
Police have revealed the victims’ last steps, yet the timeline becomes blurry as the second part of the night of the murders progresses.
On the night of 12 November, Goncalves and Mogen spent around three hours at Corner Club at the northern edge of Main Street.
The pair walked straight down Main Street to a red brick building that used to host the now-defunct Garden Lounge; a favourite food truck, Grub Wandering Kitchen - fondly called Grub Truck by its many local fans – often parks outside on Main Street.
Goncalves and Mogen ordered, laughed and chatted with friends as they got their pasta carbonara; according to police, they got a lift home from a “private party” and returned to King Road around 1.56am.
Kernodle and Chapin returned to King Road at around 1.45am. The young couple had gone to a party across the road at Sigma Chi.
The other two roommates at King Road – who have still not been named by authorities – had gotten home first, around 1am, and fallen asleep, according to police.
Mogen and Goncalves both made multiple calls to the same number around an hour after they got home.
Goncalves’ sister said the unanswered calls were placed to her ex-boyfriend, who’d dated her sister for years before they amicably split, still sharing a dog named Murphy. He has been ruled out as a suspect.
Authorities believe a killer or killers fatally stabbed Chapin, Kernodle, Goncalves and Mogen between 3am and 4am.
Their bodies weren’t found until nearly nine hours later, around noon on 13 November.
What we don’t know: Kernodle and Chapin’s movements on the night of the murders are unclear.
Police said the young couple were at the Sigma Chi party from around 8 to 9pm.
It is unclear where they were between 9pm and 1.45am; the area would have been busy at that time, surrounded by other student accommodations, as other young people headed home, too.
Aside from the calls made by Goncalves, what happened when the four returned home also remains a mystery.
It is not known if the killer had entered the house before the victims arrived home and hid before striking in their sleep or whether he entered the house after the students returned.
It’s also unclear when and how the suspect fled the home or if he has already left Moscow.
Best friends died in same bed
Sunday 4 December 2022 22:00 , Oliver O'Connell
The grieving father of one of the four slain University of Idaho students has revealed that his daughter died in the same bed as her life-long best friend.
Steve Goncalves, whose 21-year-old daughter Kaylee Goncalves was stabbed to death back on 13 November, gave a heartbreaking speech at a vigil for the victims on Wednesday evening, where he said it gave him comfort to learn that she was with best friend Madison Mogen until the very end.
Rachel Sharp reports.
Murdered Idaho student died in same bed as her best friend, father reveals
Who called 911?
Sunday 4 December 2022 21:30 , Sheila Flynn, Rachel Sharp and Andrea Blanco
What we know: The 911 call was made at 11.58am on 13 November and originated from the phone of one of the two roommates who survived the attack.
A dispatcher was told there was “an unconscious individual.”
Authorities have since revealed that other “friends” were present in the house when the 911 call was made after they were “summoned by the roommates.
“The surviving roommates summoned friends to the residence because they believed one of the second-floor victims had passed out and was not waking up,” a statement by Moscow PD read.
“Multiple people talked with the 911 dispatcher before a Moscow Police officer arrived at the location. Officers entered the residence and found the four victims on the second and third floors.”
What we don’t know: Police have refused to reveal who made the 911 call and will not release the audio.
When pressed by The Independent on why the call could not be released, the department said: “The contents are exempt from public disclosure because the records are active investigatory records which, if released, would interfere with enforcement proceedings...”
It is unclear what the roommates and “other friends” discussed in the call and what led them to describe a victim as merely “unconscious”.
It is also unclear what the roommates and friends saw inside the home before placing the 911 call.
Online sleuths riled up by so many unanswered questions
Sunday 4 December 2022 21:15 , Oliver O'Connell
Police frequently hold back some information about criminal cases because releasing it could harm the investigation. Sometimes crucial evidence doesn’t become publicly known until after an arrest is made and the case goes to trial.
In the case of the Moscow, Idaho, murders this is fueling online speculation.
EXPLAINER: Deaths of 4 Idaho students fuel online sleuths
Woman exposed as ‘fake reporter’ at Idaho murders press conference
Sunday 4 December 2022 21:00 , Oliver O'Connell
A woman posing as a reporter for a student newspaper attended a press conference by Moscow police in the Idaho quadruple murder case and asked questions to officers about the progress of the probe.
Sravasti Dasgupta has the story.
Woman exposed as ‘fake reporter’ at Idaho murders press conference
What might the motive be?
Sunday 4 December 2022 20:30 , Sheila Flynn, Rachel Sharp and Andrea Blanco
What we know: The murderer targeted the victims, police said.
What we don’t know: It is not known if the killer personally knew one or more of the victims and whether the attack was carried out in a fit of jealousy or rage.
The autopsies revealed that the bodies did not show signs of sexual assault.
Which law enforcement agencies are helping with the investigation?
Sunday 4 December 2022 20:24 , Oliver O'Connell
Despite the apparent lack of progress on the case —at least publicly — a huge amount of manpower and resources have been focused on the investigation. The Associated Press reports that Idaho Governor Brad Little has made $1m in emergency funding available for the investigation.
The Moscow Police Department has four detectives and dozens of officers on the case. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has assigned more than 40 agents, with about half stationed in Moscow. The Idaho State Police has roughly 20 investigators assisting, and several troopers patrolling the town.
Who might have killed the four students?
Sunday 4 December 2022 20:00 , Oliver O'Connell
What we know: Each individual so far linked to the murder investigation has now been ruled out as a potential suspect.
Moscow Police have said that the two surviving housemates who were in the home at the time of the killings and the other friends who were in the home when the 911 call was made are not considered suspects.
A man who was caught on camera with Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves at a food truck in the downtown area before they headed home and the private party who then gave the pair a ride home from the truck have also been ruled out.
Goncalves’ former long-term boyfriend, with whom she shares a pet dog Murphy, is also not being considered a suspect.
What we don’t know: Two weeks on from the murders, the killer or killers remains at large with police admitting that they still don’t have any suspects on their radar and with not a single arrest yet made in the case.
Officials are exploring the possibility that there is more than one perpetrator – but have given no further update on whether the investigation is leading them to or from that theory.
The lack of substantial information from police has led to rampant speculation by experts unaffiliated with the case as well as internet sleuths – confusing the true facts about the investigation.
From campus to club to crime scene: The final hours of the victims
Sunday 4 December 2022 19:30 , Oliver O'Connell
It could have been anyone, in any US college town, on any Saturday night. That’s how typical the murdered students’ behaviour was in Moscow, Idaho, just hours before they were brutally stabbed to death.
Sheila Flynn looks at the final hours of the four victims.
Campus to club to crime scene: Final hours of Idaho college murder victims
Police contending with ‘messy’ crime scene
Sunday 4 December 2022 19:00 , Sheila Flynn, Rachel Sharp and Andrea Blanco
What we know: Describing the crime scene to Today, coroner Ms Mabbutt said that there was “quite a bit of blood”.
DNA has been recovered from the home, which Mogen, Goncalves and Kernodle shared with at least two other roommates.
Those roommates were home at the time of the killings but apparently were unaware of the murders until hours later. Nearly three weeks after the killings, police revealed a sixth person may have lived at the home.
Police have taken more than 4,000 pictures of the residence after the murders. The door appeared to be unlocked with no sign of forced entry and nothing seemed to have been taken, investigators said.
The bodies were found in the victims’ beds on the second and third floors, leading authorities to believe they were asleep when killed.
At a vigil on 30 November, Goncalves’ father revealed that his daughter and Mogen were in the same bed when they were killed.
Goncalves’ parents had previously said that they had been told by authorities that the investigation is moving slowly because the killer left behind a “mess” of evidence.
Steve and Kristi Goncalves said they’ve heard from police that the crime scene is sprawling and chaotic.
“They’re telling us that there’s so much evidence that it’s going to take a lot of time to process it all,” Mr Goncalves told Fox News. “This wasn’t like a pinpoint crime. This person was sloppy.”
A neighbour told Fox that the victims often hosted gatherings at the home and had a lot of people coming in and out of the residence, which could potentially complicate crime scene analysis.
What we don’t know: It is not clear if the killer left their DNA at the crime scene. With officials believing the attack was targeted, it is possible that the perpetrator could have visited the home before that night.
On 29 November, Latah County Prosecutor Prosecutor Bill Thompson appeared to cast doubt on the belief that all four victims were found in their beds.
In an interview with NewsNation, he refused to confirm the exact locations where the victims’ bodies were found inside the student home saying such information might only be known by the killer.
“As for as the victims who are deceased, I can’t say for sure [where they were found] and that would be one of the details that investigators would want to protect as very few people would know the exact locations of the victims in the house,” he said.
Mr Thompson also said that he didn’t know if the victims’ bedroom doors were left locked.
Police have revealed that two of the victims were found on the second floor, and the other two on the third floor – but have not confirmed who was where.
Speaking to Fox News Digital on 30 November, Idaho State Police Communications Director Aaron Snell revealed investigators are wrapping up their search of the crime scene despite the lack of progress.
The rumours and conspiracy theories ruled out by investigators
Sunday 4 December 2022 18:28 , Oliver O'Connell
While officials are remaining tightlipped about key parts of the investigation including why they believe the murders were targeted, they have debunked several online rumours and ruled out potential ties to the killings.
This is what police have ruled out so far:
Idaho college murders: The rumours and conspiracy theories ruled out
Mother of victim hits out at police investigation saying she learns more from news
Sunday 4 December 2022 18:00 , Oliver O'Connell
Mother of Idaho murder victim hits out at police saying she learns more from news
What was the murder weapon?
Sunday 4 December 2022 17:30 , Sheila Flynn, Rachel Sharp and Andrea Blanco
What we know: Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt revealed that each victim was stabbed multiple times with a “large knife”, describing their wounds as “pretty extensive” and revealing that they bled out inside their student home.
“I’ve been a coroner for 16 years... we have had multiple [victim] murders in the past, but nothing, nothing like this,” she said.
Police have now revealed that they believe the murder weapon was a fixed-blade knife and confirmed that they had visited local stores to inquire about any recent purchases.
A local store owner previously said that officials had been especially interested in sales of a military-style Ka-Bar or “Rambo” knife.
What we don’t know: No murder weapon has been found.
What we know about the nature of the murders
Sunday 4 December 2022 17:00 , Sheila Flynn, Rachel Sharp and Andrea Blanco
What we know: The attack was targeted, local police have said.
Early on in the investigation it was described as a “crime of passion” by Moscow Mayor Art Betgge and as “personal” by Police Chief James Fry.
Police have since distanced themselves from those characterisations, only revealing that they’re operating on the belief that they don’t believe the circumstances leading to the attack were random.
Last week, Kaylee Goncalves’ father, Steve Goncalves, said that officials had given “vague” information about the case and whether or not it was just one student who was the target in the murders.
“I’ve been told it’s one [target], but then again, there’s the bigness like it’s purposely big. I’m hoping, but it confuses everyone, yeah, because nobody knows what that really means other than maybe somebody had a different kind of attack footprint,” Mr Goncalves said in an interview with CNN.
“We all want to play a part in helping, and we can’t move if we don’t have any real substantial information to work from.”
What we don’t know: Moscow police have refused to provide more details as to why they think the murders were targeted.
Officials are also staying silent around whether all of the four victims were intended targets or whether the killer targeted one victim, with the rest simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“You’re going to have to trust on that at this point because we are not going to release why we think that,” Captain Roger Lanier said during a press conference on 23 November in response to why officials believe the killings were targeted.
Aaron Snell, with Idaho State Police, told Fox News Digital that information about the targeted murders is being handled with caution so as to not jeopardise the investigation.
“And so if we just provide information to the public, I just don’t think that that’s going to be a wise choice,” he said.
Although behavioural analysts are working on a profile, it will only be used to “refine” the investigation and will not be released to the public because it could “potentially put more fear, more suspicion on a wide variety of people,” he said.
Officials have defended their work on the investigation thus far, telling the community it took time to process the sprawling crime scene, an off-campus rental home shared by Goncalves, Mogen and Kernodle.
“We understand you want answers. We want answers too. But these take time,” state police colonel Kedrick Willis said.
When asked if any law enforcement officials had shared that Kaylee was the “target” of the attack, her mother Alivea Goncalves told CNN: “They won’t confirm who that was to us.”
On 29 November, the local prosecutor walked back the claim that the killings were “targeted”, admitting it “perhaps isn’t the best word to use” to describe the brutal murders.
“It seems like the word targeted has different understandings for different people who are listening and perhaps isn’t the best word to use,” Latah County Prosecutor Prosecutor Bill Thompson told NewsNation.
“The bottom line is whoever is responsible for this is still at large – that can’t be changed.”
In yet another apparent walk-back hours later, the Moscow Police Department issued a statement saying investigators “do not currently know” if the attacks were targeted and accused Mr Latah of “miscommunication”.
Two housemates who survived stabbing frenzy break their silence
Sunday 4 December 2022 16:32 , Oliver O'Connell
Two University of Idaho students who survived a quadruple homicide at their Moscow home shared memories of their slain friends in their first public statements since the murders.
Bevan Hurley reports.
Idaho murders: Two flatmates who survived stabbing frenzy break their silence
Mother of victim hits out at police investigation saying she learns more from news
Sunday 4 December 2022 15:55 , Oliver O'Connell
The mother of one of the Idaho college murder victims has slammed the pace of the police investigation into the brutal slaying of the four students at their shared home in Moscow.
Cara Denise Northington, mother of Xana Kernodle, broke her silence three weeks after the death of her daughter.
“There is so much more that can be done that has not been done,” she told NewsNation.
Speaking with Ashleigh Banfield, Ms Northington said of her communication with the police: “They haven’t said anything. I learn on the news and on TV than what they have said to me.”
Watch below:
Father of Kaylee Goncalves says students’ ‘means of death’ do not match
Sunday 4 December 2022 15:15 , Oliver O'Connell
The parents of deceased student Kaylee Goncalves have told Fox News that the “means of death” of at least two of the four murdered students do not match.
Speaking on Lawrence Jones Cross Country on Saturday evening, Steven Goncalves said: “I'll cut to the chase – their means of death don't match.”
Asked if he was specifically referred to the death of his daughter and her best friend Madison Mogen, he repeated: “They don’t match.”
“Their points of damage don't match,” he continued. “I'm just going to say it. It wasn't leaked to me. I earned that. I paid for that funeral. … I sent my daughter to college. She came back in a box, and I can speak on that.”
Kaylee and Madson were asleep in the same bed when the attack occurred, according to Mr Goncalves.
Watch: Neighbour addresses rumours about his media appearances
Sunday 4 December 2022 13:45 , Oliver O'Connell
Could these 11 questions hold the key to solving the Idaho murders?
Sunday 4 December 2022 12:45 , Oliver O'Connell
The Independent’s Sheila Flynn, Rachel Sharp, and Andrea Blanco have been closely following the case and find that with each piece of information released by the authorities, and each theory debunked, more questions present themselves.
These 11 questions could hold the key to solving the Idaho murders
Victim’s family want to know if police cleared people too quickly
Sunday 4 December 2022 12:00 , Sravasti Dasgupta
Idaho murder victim Kaylee Goncalves’ family has questioned if police were too quick to clear some of the people connected to the case.
In an interview with NewsNation’s Brian Entin, the family said a number of people have been ruled out.
“A few of the names that have been circulating around, I think it’s hard not to dig into this and I don’t know how much of that is we have so little information from law enforcement, and how much of it is really a sister or a father’s intuition,” said Alivea Goncalves, Kaylee’s mother.
“I just feel like there’s been a couple individuals that were cleared very fast that maybe should not have been,” said Kristi Goncalves, Kaylee’s sister.
“I don’t know what would prevent you from sharing someone’s alibi,” said Steve Goncalves, Kaylee’s father.
Terror grips Idaho college town: Guns, deadbolts and a mass student exodus
Sunday 4 December 2022 11:15 , Oliver O'Connell
Sheila Flynn reports on how fear has gripped the usually quiet town, still reeling as the four murders remain unsolved.
Guns, deadbolts and mass student exodus: Terror grips Idaho town after murders
Tracing the final hours of the Idaho murder victims
Sunday 4 December 2022 09:45 , Oliver O'Connell
It could have been anyone, in any US college town, on any Saturday night. That’s how typical the murdered students’ behaviour was in Moscow, Idaho, just hours before they were brutally stabbed to death.
Here’s what we know about the movements of the victims on that fateful night.
Campus to club to crime scene: Final hours of Idaho college murder victims
Handprint spotted next to evidence tape, report says
Sunday 4 December 2022 09:00 , Sravasti Dasgupta
A handprint can be seen next to an evidence tape on the window of the house where four University of Idaho students, Fox News reported.
Photos captured by Fox News Digital show the inside of several rooms through windows of the house.
One window shows an evidence tape attached to it, along with a handprint nearby.
According to Fox News contributor and former Washington, DC, homicide detective Ted Williams the killer may have touched walls or other portions of the home, leaving behind evidence, the outlet reported.
