Idaho college murders - live: Police call logs show reports of ‘suspicious’ men as five vehicles examined
Moscow residents have called 911 multiple times to report “suspicious” men and other disturbing incidents in the small, college town in the two weeks since four University of Idaho students were brutally stabbed to death in an off-campus home.
The Independent’s analysis of police call logs revealed chilling complaints including a man carrying a knife, a person “wearing a black ski mask”, a “male outside taking photos of the upper floors” of a home and reports from people believing that someone has tried to enter their home.
In one particularly chilling call, a caller said that a man had given their daughter a note on the back of a receipt at her workplace with the warning: “You better watch out.”
In another, the caller said that a man was “walking around taking down the posters with the tip line information” – believed to be the tip line for the murders of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kerndole and Ethan Chapin.
While several of the reports appear to be disturbing, they also reveal how the community is racked by fear as no arrests have been made and no suspects named in the case.
Key points
911 call logs reveal disturbing incidents in wake of murders
Students return to campus after Thanksgiving break
Man allegedly spotted taking down tip posters
Victim’s family fears killer will attend daughter’s funeral
Rumours and conspiracy theories ruled out
Victims’ neighbour hits out at Reddit sleuths
09:30 , Rachel Sharp
Aneighbour of the four University of Idaho students murdered in an off-campus home on 13 November has hit out at Reddit sleuths who suggested that his media appearances were suspicious.
Jeremy Reagan, a third-year law student, said he went to bed early on the night of the murders, but Reddit commenters are finding his statements suspicious.
“[It’s] upsetting being compared to a murderer when I didn’t do anything,” Mr Reagan told Court TV.
Watch below:
911 call logs reveal sightings of blood stains, knives and ‘suspicious men’ in town of Idaho student murders
09:00 , Rachel Sharp
The Independent’s analysis of Moscow Police call logs has revealed several chilling complaints in the two weeks since the murders of four students.
On Wednesday 23 November, just before 9am, the owner of a laundromat in Moscow reported something alarming: “A mark on [a] column inside that looks like blood.” Though a police officer responded, they did not file any report.
It is just one of many potentially worrying but seemingly unconnected sights and sounds reported in the town since the murders.
One person reported a “suspicious vehicle in the parking lot”, along with “a person out digging in the dirt”. Officers made contact with the person, yet filed no report.
Another report said there was a person “standing in the cul-de-sac, wearing a big jacket and wearing a black ski mask”. Officers were unable to locate them. A report on Sun 20 November described “a male on the side of the road carrying a knife in front of him, stretched out”. Officers made no report.
The Independent’s Io Dodds delves into the police call logs:
911 logs reveal sightings of ‘blood stains’ and knives’ in Idaho student murders town
Disturbing 911 call made for ‘blood stains'
08:30 , Rachel Sharp
Police call logs reveal that several disturbing incidents have taken place and “suspicious” individuals have been sighted around Moscow in the two weeks since the murders.
On Wednesday 23 November, just before 9am, the owner of a laundromat in Moscow reported something alarming.
“A mark on [a] column inside that looks like blood,” the call log states.
Though a police officer responded, they did not file any report.
This is just one of many potentially worrying sightings reported in the town since 13 November.
Moscow Police revealed that 911 calls have surged in the aftermath of the murders as the killer or killers of four students remain at large.
Victim’s father reveals frustration with probe
08:00 , Rachel Sharp
Kaylee Goncalves’ father has said that he is trying to have faith in police investigating his daughter’s murder but cannot help being somewhat frustrated with the investigation so far.
Steve Goncalves told ABC News that he is feeling “a little defeated” and frustrated by the lack of information law enforcement are sharing with the family as the investigation rumbles into its third week.
“I have to assume and hope that this is all part of their plan and ... they’ve got this all figured out,” he said.
“I know that there’s some really good, hard-working guys and girls that are on this case that I’ve met. And they looked me in the eyes and they told me straight-out that they’re working and they’re doing everything in their power.”
Knowing his daughter’s killer is still out there is the only feeling worse than the fact that she has died, he said.
“[The killer is] having a great life out there – and you’re just left in shambles,” he said.
“I have to have my justice. These families deserve that.
“We just have to come together as a community. Submit all those pieces of evidence ... and get this guy off the streets.”
Rumours and conspiracy theories ruled out by investigators
07:30 , Rachel Sharp
Two weeks have now 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.
Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were found murdered in the off-campus home that the three female students shared in the early hours of 13 November.
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
Kaylee Goncalves’ father reveals they all ‘died quickly’
07:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The four students killed in the knife attack all died quickly, according to the grieving father of victim Kaylee Goncalves.
Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were killed around 3am or 4am on 13 November, police said.
Their bodies were left undiscovered for several hours, with police receiving a 911 call at 11.58am to report an “unconscious individual” at the home.
Steve Goncalves told ABC News that he learned that it would have made no difference if the victims were found earlier as his daughter and her three friends had died quickly and so would not have been saved.
“Nobody suffered and nobody felt like that kind of pain,” he said.
Police insist crime scene was secured correctly
06:30 , Rachel Sharp
Idaho officials have insisted that the crime scene was secured correctly and that they believe in the integrity of the investigation.
On Saturday, Idaho State Police communications director Aaron Snell told Fox News Digital that investigators working on the case “have the information” but are intentionally withholding it in order to try to catch the killer.
“Ultimately, detectives on the scene have the information,” he said.
“The people that are working this case from all three agencies… they’re the best and the brightest and they have the most up-to-date resources.”
He added that officials have more information than they are releasing but cannot share it in order to protect the integrity of 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, adding that keeping information “from view is going to be critical [in] trying to develop” the investigation in the future.
This includes information around why they believe the murders were targeted and a profile of the killer which is being created by behavioural experts.
ICYMI: Families and police beg for online conspiracies to stop
06:00 , Rachel Sharp
“All the noise out there is really harming the families,” a friend of Kristi and Steve Goncalves, Kaylee’s parents, told The Independent. “And it’s taking the police down trails that are not real and taking them away from the ones that are.”
She was speaking from outside her home in Coeur d’Alene, a 90-minute drive north from the scene of the crime in the university town of Moscow. Kaylee and Madison were best friends and grew up around here.
The driveways of both their family homes on Monday were filled with cars, but polite, somber men who answered the door at each location said the girls’ parents were declining to talk.
They’ve already pleaded for others to stop spreading rumours, which have been proliferating on the ground and on the internet since the 13 November slayings. In Coeur d’Alene on Monday, people were still repeating information to The Independent on that had been debunked days earlier.
Police, meanwhile, were issuing similar pleas on Monday, updating their social media posts repeatedly to address specific inaccuracies circulating. They shot down reports that the skinning of a nearby pet dog was related to the murders; then they said a report of a man waiting in a woman’s car was “unfounded.”
The Independent’s Sheila Flynn reports from on the ground in Moscow:
Families of Idaho murder victims beg for calm as conspiracists hijack case
Idaho governor pledges $1m to investigation
05:30 , Rachel Sharp
Idaho Governor Brad Little has pledged to channel up to $1m in state emergency funds to help solve the murders of the four University of Idaho students in Moscow.
On Wednesday, the governor promised to offer up to $1m in financial assistance to help boost the investigation into the 13 November knife attack.
Two weeks on from the murders, no arrests have been made and no suspects named.
Man spotted taking down tip posters
05:00 , Rachel Sharp
A “suspicious” man was spotted taking down tip posters around Moscow, according to a 911 call.
The Independent’s analysis of Moscow Police call logs revealed several chilling complaints filed by Moscow residents in the two weeks since four University of Idaho students were brutally stabbed to death.
In one 911 call, the caller told police that they had seen a “suspicious” man walking around removing posters with information about a tip line last Tuesday.
It’s not clear exactly what tip line that was, but there is a good chance it was the Moscow Police Department’s tip line at 208-883-7180, which has been advertised in connection with this month’s murders.
Victim’s family fears killer will attend daughter’s funeral
04:30 , Megan Sheets
The devastated father of victim Kaylee Goncalves has revealed the family’s fears that their daughter’s killer would show up at her funeral.
Steve Goncalves told ABC News that the family have so far declined to hold a funeral service for the 21-year-old as the killer or killers’ identity remains unknown.
“My wife’s biggest fear, part of the reason we didn’t have a funeral, is because she couldn’t be guaranteed that that monster was going to not be there,” he said.
Now, 16 days into the murder investigation, no suspects have been identified, no arrests made and the murder weapon has not been found.
The Independent’s Graeme Massie has more:
Idaho murder victim’s father reveals chilling reason family didn’t hold a funeral
‘You can’t imagine sending your girl to college and they come back in an urn’: Victim’s father speaks out
04:00 , Rachel Sharp
The grieving father of victim Kaylee Goncalves has spoken of the horror of proudly sending his daughter off to college only for her to have her “come back in an urn”.
Steve Goncalves told ABC News: “You can’t imagine sending your girl to college and they come back ... in an urn.
“You’re numb ... you can’t absorb that amount of pain and agony.”
He paid tribute to Goncalves, 21, as his “bonus child” who was always there for people and also paid tribute to her best friend Madison Mogen who was part of the family.
“When you’re sick and you’re down and you’re out, you want to have that one great friend that’s always there for you – and that’s what they had,” he said. “There is no Kaylee without Maddie.”
HIs daughter was planning to move to Texas when she was killed, he said, adding that she had considered a move to Chicago but he and his wife worried it wasn’t safe enough.
“She was going places. She was highly motivated,” he said. “I hope people understand how all these kids ... were doing everything right and they were going to be the type of people that you want to be your neighbour.”
Campus security ramped up as students return
03:30 , Rachel Sharp
Campus security has been ramped up across the University of Idaho as students returned to Moscow on Monday following the Thanksgiving break.
Those who returned are changing their habits and ramping up security around their homes.
The Independent revealed how locksmiths have been facing increased demand in the wake of the murders and a former student has raised money for around 1,900 personal alarms for students.
The small college town had emptied out in the wake of the murders – and with no suspects identified, no arrests made and the murder weapon still not found many students are not returning.
Students have only two weeks of classes left before the university term ends for the winter recess.
College officials prepared for the fact that some students would continue to stay remote until at least the new year, vowing to take a flexible approach to learning.
“Faculty have been asked to prepare in-person teaching and remote learning options so that each student can choose their method of engagement for the final two weeks of the semester,” Scott Green, university president, said in a statement last week.
University of Idaho alumna raises $20,000 for personal alarms for students
03:00 , Rachel Sharp
A University of Idaho alumna has raised almost $20,000 in donations to buy 1,900 personal alarms for terrified students living in Moscow with a murderer at large.
Kerry Ulhorn, a 37-year-old former member of the Delta Gamma sorority, told The Independent that she wanted to help students feel safe in the college town after four sorority and fraternity members were stabbed to death in a brutal knife attack back on 13 November.
“The hope is that these will give the students on campus a small sense of security and also just let them know that their alumni and others deeply care about keeping them and the university that we love a safe space for them to be,” she said.
Two weeks have now passed since Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were brutally murdered in the off-campus home that the three female students shared.
No suspects have been identified, no arrests have been made and the murder weapon is still nowhere to be found, leaving residents in the notoriously safe area on edge.
Read the interview here:
Ex-University of Idaho student raises $20,000 for personal alarms after murders
Victim was having ‘normal night’ before murder, says fellow student
02:30 , Rachel Sharp
A University of Idaho student has revealed that she saw one of the victims enjoying a “normal night” out just hours before she was brutally murdered in her rental home.
Madison Moye told Fox News Digital that Madison Mogen spent much of the night of 12 November at The Corner Club bar in downtown Moscow.
Ms Moye, a 21-year-old sophomore and fellow member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority, said that she saw nothing out of the ordinary, with Mogen “laughing with all her friends” at the sports bar.
“It was just a normal night in Moscow,” she said.
“Moscow is a safe place. Nothing like this ever happens … I didn’t think anything of it.”
Ms Moye lives in a home behind the murder house and said that she knew the victims and had visited their house to “hang out” with them. Mogen and Xana Kernodle were both members of Pi Beta Phi
The close proximity from her home to the crime scene left her wondering if the killer might have passed through her yard, she admitted.
“It’s definitely something that’s crossed my mind and that’s really terrifying,” she said.
Investigators still unable to rule whether Kaylee Goncalves had stalker
02:00 , Rachel Sharp
Investigators have still been unable to rule out the possibility that one of the victim’s – Kaylee Goncalves – had a stalker.
Goncalves, 21, reportedly confided in friends before her death that she believed she was stalked by someone.
The identity of the alleged stalker is not known.
Last week, police said that they were looking into the theory but had been unable to either confirm or deny it.
In an update on Sunday, Moscow Police revealed that – despite “hundreds” of tips about the suspected stalker – they are still at something of a loss.
“Investigators have looked extensively into information received about Kaylee having a stalker. They have pursued hundreds of pieces of information related to this topic but have not verified or identified a stalker,” police said in a press release.
“Anyone with information about a potential stalker or unusual instances is asked to contact the tip line.”
Ethan Chapin’s friends’ touching floral tribute:
01:30 , Rachel Sharp
Friends of Ethan Chapin have been planting tulips in memory of the slain student who used to work in the fields in Skagit Valley.
Chapin’s former boss Andrew Miller and former coworker Reese Gardner told King5 that they are planting thousands of tulip bulbs across Conway and Mount Vernon where the 20-year-old grew up as well as at the University of Idaho.
The pair said that the gardens will be called “Ethan’s Smile” in his honour.
Mr Gardner said that he met the 20-year-old when they were colleagues on a local farm and said that he was struggling to comprehend his sudden death.
“He was one of the few people that there was nothing bad about him. He was 100% pure. He was honest, just a great person,” he said.
“It still is hard to believe, especially that something like that could happen. It’s an unbelievable thing that someone could do that.
“He made everyone’s lives a little bit better no matter what, and I just think something like that shouldn’t be forgotten,” he said, adding that his friend will now “always be here through the tulips”.
Mr Miller said that planting flowers in his memory is a way to “honor” and “remember” him every spring.
“Knowing I can be helping out and doing something that will help his remembrance is definitely helping me get through this,” he said, adding that he hopes it can help make “everyone’s lives a little bit better”.
Moscow resident reported man with knife days after murders
01:00 , Rachel Sharp
A 911 call was made reporting a man with a knife just days after the four University of Idaho students were stabbed to death in their home while they slept.
The Independent’s analysis of police call logs revealed several chilling complaints had been made in the two weeks since the 13 November murders.
On 20 November – exactly one week on from the killings – a caller reported “a male on the side of the road carrying a knife in front of him, stretched out”.
Officers did not file a report about the incident.
Other 911 calls reported “suspicious” men being spotted in the areas.
Lock shop can’t keep up with demand as Moscow residents ramp up security
00:30 , Rachel Sharp
Moscow Lock Shop can’t keep up with the demand for deadbolts.
The calls started coming in just hours after police discovered four University of Idaho students fatally stabbed on 13 November. Then the phone started ringing even more; by 17 November, the number of calls had reached 50 in a day.
“If you imagine that there’s two of us working, and then we’re going out and actually doing calls, and there’s 50 phone calls in one day ... we’re not getting them all done,” locksmith Casper Combs, 28, tells The Independent, pointing out that it takes about an hour to install each deadbolt.
The Lock Shop has a waiting list “past Thanksgiving, that’s for sure,” he says. Most of the calls come from landlords and scared parents of students at UI, which is less than a mile away – “typically moms who are worried about their kids.”
“Little town Moscow doesn’t get a lot of drama, thank God,” says Mr Combs. “We’re lucky enough to live in a town where this type of thing is kind of so outlandish ... everybody is just freaked out, and that’s all that they’re talking about.”
The Independent’s Sheila Flynn reports from on the ground in Moscow:
Guns, deadbolts and mass student exodus: Terror grips Idaho town after murders
Surge in 911 calls in Moscow after murders
00:00 , Rachel Sharp
Police in Moscow have been grappling with a surge in calls since four friends were found butchered in their rental home – as the community remains racked by fear and University of Idaho students are set to return to campus with the killer still at large.
It’s now been two weeks since Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were stabbed to death in the off-campus home that the three female students shared in the early hours of 13 November.
No suspects have been identified, no arrests have been made and the murder weapon is still nowhere to be found, leaving the small and notoriously safe college town on edge.
Since 13 November, Moscow Police have received 78 calls for “unusual circumstances” and 36 requests to check the welfare of loved ones, an increase from 70 and 18 respectively in the whole of October, according to data released on Sunday by the department.
The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:
Idaho police see surge in calls since brutal murders of four college students
Moscow police examine five vehicles connected to student deaths
Tuesday 29 November 2022 23:39 , Io Dodds
Police investigating the murder of four university students in Moscow, Idaho are examining five vehicles thought to be connected.
The Moscow Police Department said on Tuesday afternoon that it was moving five vehicles away from the crime scene into a “secure long-term storage location” where they could be properly scrutinised for evidence.
What we know about the 911 call:
Tuesday 29 November 2022 23:30 , Rachel Sharp
All four victims are believed to have been killed at around 3am or 4am on the morning of 13 November.
The attack was brutal with each victim stabbed multiple times.
However, police were not called to the home until a 911 call was made at 11.58am on Sunday, alerting officers to an “unconscious individual” in the home on King Road.
Police said that the roommates slept through the murders and when they woke up on the Sunday, they called some unidentified friends to the home because they believed that one of the victims on the second floor “had passed out and was not waking up”.
After the friends arrived on the scene, the 911 call was made from one of the surviving roommates’ cell phones inside the home.
The roommates and the unidentified friends were still on the scene when officers arrived. The officers found the bodies of two of the victims on the second floor and the other two victims on the third floor.
It is unclear what the roommates and “other friends” had discovered prior to placing the call and what led them to describe a victim as merely “unconscious”.
Police have also refused to reveal who made the 911 call and have not released the identity of the friends who were on the scene when they arrived. They have revealed that multiple people talked with the 911 dispatcher before officers arrived at the crime scene.
Victim’s father thinks killer is ‘proud’ of murder weapon
Tuesday 29 November 2022 23:00 , Rachel Sharp
The devastated father of victim Kaylee Goncalves has revealed that he thinks her killer would be “proud” of the murder weapon used to kill his daughter.
Police have revealed that the killer used a fix-blade knife to stab each of the four victims multiple times in a brutal attack.
The knife has never been found.
Steve Goncalves told ABC’s GMA described it as a “brutal weapon” which left his daughter and her friends with “large punctures”.
“The detective said this weapon is probably something [the killer] paid money for and something that they’re proud of,” he said.
Autopsies revealed that the victims were all stabbed multiple times and bled out in the home. They were likely attacked as they slept in their beds, the coroner has revealed.
Rumours about victim’s dog barking not confirmed
Tuesday 29 November 2022 22:30 , Rachel Sharp
Officials are pushing back against rumours which have circled about a dog belonging to one of the murder victims, after it was found unharmed at the crime scene.
Last week, investigators in Moscow revealed that Kaylee Goncalves’ pet dog Murphy was inside the home when the bodies of the four victims were discovered at around midday on 13 November.
Goncalves shared the dog with her long-term ex-boyfriend. He has been ruled out as a suspect in the killings.
Speculation has been swirling online about whether or not the dog was barking at the time of the murders – with internet sleuths using the detail as a benchmark for whether or not the animal may have been familiar with the killer.
Aaron Snell, director of communications for the Idaho State Police, told Fox News Digital that officials have not confirmed whether or not the dog was barking.
The only information so far confirmed about the pet is that it was in the home when police arrived on the scene.
His comments come as officials are continuing to come up against online speculation and unfounded rumours given the high-profile nature of the case.
911 call logs reveal sightings of blood stains, knives and ‘suspicious men’ after murders
Tuesday 29 November 2022 22:00 , Rachel Sharp
The Independent’s analysis of Moscow Police call logs has revealed several chilling complaints in the two weeks since the murders of four students.
On Wednesday 23 November, just before 9am, the owner of a laundromat in Moscow reported something alarming: “A mark on [a] column inside that looks like blood.” Though a police officer responded, they did not file any report.
It is just one of many potentially worrying but seemingly unconnected sights and sounds reported in the town since the murders.
One person reported a “suspicious vehicle in the parking lot”, along with “a person out digging in the dirt”. Officers made contact with the person, yet filed no report.
Another report said there was a person “standing in the cul-de-sac, wearing a big jacket and wearing a black ski mask”. Officers were unable to locate them. A report on Sun 20 November described “a male on the side of the road carrying a knife in front of him, stretched out”. Officers made no report.
The Independent’s Io Dodds delves into the police call logs:
911 logs reveal sightings of ‘blood stains’ and knives’ in Idaho student murders town
February death not connected to murders, say police
Tuesday 29 November 2022 21:30 , Rachel Sharp
Investigators have ruled out any connection between the brutal stabbing murders of four University of Idaho students and a February 2022 overdose death.
On Monday, Moscow Police Department said in an update that authorities had received several questions about the death on Baker Street nine months prior to the quadruple murder.
The Latah County Coroner’s Office has confirmed the death was due to an overdose and the case is not related to the ongoing murder investigation, police said.
University of Idaho student tells of campus-wide fear
Tuesday 29 November 2022 21:15 , Megan Sheets
A University of Idaho student has opened up about the fear gripping her peers in the wake of the murders two weeks ago.
“There’s so much tension, there’s so much fear,” Megan Stanley told NewsNation as students returned from Thanksgiving break.
“With a couple of weeks left in the semester and finals approaching, campus should be full of students and really lively. And I feel like I’m only seeing a handful of students walking around.”
An apparel design student, Ms Stanley said some but not all of her classes have been moved online, meaning she and many others can’t finish the semester at home.
She said she and her peers “don’t really talk about” the killings because it’s so painful.
“We all know this is going on, but we don’t really talk about it because for a lot of us, it’s an emotional subject,” she said. “I didn’t know the victims personally, but a lot of my classmates who are in the Greek system did, and it’s a really hard subject to broach.”
Ms Stanley added that she wishes that more was being done by the university to make students feel safe.
“Scott Green, our president and Dr. (Blaine) Eckles, the dean of students — I’ve seen them tear up in the press conferences and everything. They’re feeling the same pain that we are,” she said.
“But I don’t feel that enough is being really done to reassure us as students or even just as a community.”
Police rule out connection to red Mustang
Tuesday 29 November 2022 21:00 , Rachel Sharp
Investigators have revealed that a red Mustang left near the crime scene is not connected to the murders of the four students.
In an update on Monday, Moscow Police Department acknowledged online reports of a red Mustang on S. Deakin St. being processed as part of the murder investigation.
The department debunked the rumours saying “this information is not accurate, and the vehicle is not connected to this incident”.
Given the lack of suspects or arrests in the case, various rumours have been circulating online.
The Mustang became the focus of much attention on Reddit, with one user saying: “Yesterday [25 November] I took a screenshot from the Idaho murder Facebook group of what appears to be a red Mustang convertible being searched by a forensics team.”
It added: “The original image and thread were removed from the FB group due to disagreements on whether or not the image showed a forensics team or a group of people fixing the car.”
Moscow police offer vague new update about ‘increase in detective activity'
Tuesday 29 November 2022 20:42 , Megan Sheets
Moscow police offered a very brief new update in the investigation on Tuesday afternoon.
“Today, as part of the ongoing homicide investigation and original search warrant, there will be an increase in detective activity and tow trucks onsite as investigators move five vehicles from within the police perimeter to a more secure long-term storage location to continue processing evidence,” the update posted to Facebook read.
No further details were provided on why the vehicles are just being moved now - after more than two weeks of extensive searches by investigators.
Updates from the local police department have grown more vague and further apart as the investigation drags on.
Officials have said that they are withholding any information that is not fully confirmed, amid mounting pressure about the apparent lack of progress from the outside.
Public urged to send in tips on ‘odd or out-of-the-ordinary events’
Tuesday 29 November 2022 20:30 , Rachel Sharp
Investigators are urging the public to come forward with tips about any “odd or out-of-the-ordinary events” as they try to track down the killer.
“Detectives are looking for context to the events and people involved in these murders,” Moscow Police Department said in an update on Monday.
“To assist with the ongoing investigation, any odd or out-of-the-ordinary events that took place should be reported.”
Officials sought to reassure tipsters that they are not focused on the “activities” surrounding such events in an effort to urge people to come forward: “Our focus is the investigation, not the activities. Your information, whether you believe it is significant or not, might be a piece of the puzzle to help investigators solve these murders.”
Information can be submitted to the tip Line at 208-883-7180 or at tipline@ci.moscow.id.us or online at fbi.gov/moscowidaho
Vigils to take place on Wednesday
Tuesday 29 November 2022 20:00 , Rachel Sharp
The small college town of Moscow is preparing to hold a vigil on Wednesday in memory of the four victims murdered in a brutal knife attack on 13 November.
The University of Idaho will host the event at the Moscow campus at 5pm local time on 30 November followed by an event at the Boise campus at 6pm.
The university will “honor the memory of Ethan, Xana, Madison and Kaylee,” it says.
People will also be able to join the vigil remotely.
The vigil was originally slated to take place in the days after the murders but was postponed as the town emptied, with terrified students upping sticks and leaving as the killer or killers remain at large.
Several students returned to Moscow on Monday, after the Thanksgiving break.
Students all ‘died quickly’, says victim’s father
Tuesday 29 November 2022 19:30 , Megan Sheets
The four students killed in the knife attack all died quickly, according to the grieving father of victim Kaylee Goncalves.
Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were killed around 3am or 4am on 13 November, police said.
Their bodies were left undiscovered for several hours, with police receiving a 911 call at 11.58am to report an “unconscious individual” at the home.
Steve Goncalves told ABC News that he learned that it would have made no difference if the victims were found earlier as his daughter and her three friends had died quickly and so would not have been saved.
“Nobody suffered and nobody felt like that kind of pain,” he said.
Mr Goncalves also shared his theory that the 911 caller may have reported an “unconscious individual” because his daughter wasn’t answering her phone.
“I know the girls reached out via texting and calling, so I can only assume by the phones being ignored, knowing how my daughter is not going to ignore calls and texting,” he said.
Tracing the Idaho murder victims’ final hours
Tuesday 29 November 2022 19:00 , Rachel Sharp
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.
Among them were five girls living in a three-bedroom rental home on King Road, just over a mile from the stadium and only two blocks from the edge of campus. Kaylee Goncalves and Maddie Mogen, both 21 and childhood best friends, were heading together to the bars downtown. Xana Kernodle, 20, was planning to hang out with her boyfriend, 20-year-old Ethan Chapin. The girls’ two other female roommates would spend the night out, also.
Reporting from on the ground in Moscow, Idaho, The Independent’s Sheila Flynn outlines the students’ final hours:
Campus to club to crime scene: Final hours of Idaho college murder victims
Kaylee Goncalves’ father reveals why family didn’t hold funeral
Tuesday 29 November 2022 18:46 , Megan Sheets
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.
Kaylee Goncalves was killed at an off-campus house in the city of Moscow, Idaho, in the early hours of 13 November, with police still hunting for the murderer.
Her father, Steve Goncalves, says that the family has not been able to bring itself to have a commemoration for their daughter just yet.
“My wife’s biggest fear, part of the reason we didn’t have a funeral, is because she couldn’t be guaranteed that that monster was going to not be there,” he told ABC News.
He insisted that he still supports and trusts the law enforcement officers who are working the case, despite a lack of results so far and the killer still on the loose.
The Independent’s Graeme Massie has more:
Idaho murder victim’s father reveals chilling reason family didn’t hold a funeral
Kaylee Goncalves’ father says he is trying to have faith in police
Tuesday 29 November 2022 18:30 , Rachel Sharp
Kaylee Goncalves’ father has said that he is trying to have faith in police investigating his daughter’s murder but cannot help being somewhat frustrated with the investigation so far.
Steve Goncalves told ABC News that he is feeling “a little defeated” and frustrated by the lack of information law enforcement are sharing with the family as the investigation rumbles into its third week.
“I have to assume and hope that this is all part of their plan and ... they’ve got this all figured out,” he said.
“I know that there’s some really good, hard-working guys and girls that are on this case that I’ve met. And they looked me in the eyes and they told me straight-out that they’re working and they’re doing everything in their power.”
Knowing his daughter’s killer is still out there is the only feeling worse than the fact that she has died, he said.
“[The killer is] having a great life out there – and you’re just left in shambles,” he said.
“I have to have my justice. These families deserve that.
“We just have to come together as a community. Submit all those pieces of evidence ... and get this guy off the streets.”
Man spotted taking down tip posters
Tuesday 29 November 2022 18:00 , Rachel Sharp
A “suspicious” man was spotted taking down tip posters around Moscow, according to a 911 call.
The Independent’s analysis of Moscow Police call logs revealed several chilling complaints filed by Moscow residents in the two weeks since four University of Idaho students were brutally stabbed to death.
In one 911 call, the caller told police that they had seen a “suspicious” man walking around removing posters with information about a tip line last Tuesday.
It’s not clear exactly what tip line that was, but there is a good chance it was the Moscow Police Department’s tip line at 208-883-7180, which has been advertised in connection with this month’s murders.
Victim’s family fears killer will attend daughter’s funeral
Tuesday 29 November 2022 17:30 , Rachel Sharp
The devastated father of victim Kaylee Goncalves has revealed the family’s fears that their daughter’s killer would show up at her funeral.
Steve Goncalves told ABC News that the family have so far declined to hold a funeral service for the 21-year-old as the killer or killers’ identity remains unknown.
“My wife’s biggest fear, part of the reason we didn’t have a funeral, is because she couldn’t be guaranteed that that monster was going to not be there,” he said.
Now, 16 days into the murder investigation, no suspects have been identified, no arrests made and the murder weapon has not been found.
911 call reported man with knife days after killings
Tuesday 29 November 2022 17:10 , Rachel Sharp
A 911 call was made reporting a man with a knife just days after the four University of Idaho students were stabbed to death in their home while they slept.
The Independent’s analysis of police call logs revealed several chilling complaints had been made in the two weeks since the 13 November murders.
On 20 November – exactly one week on from the killings – a caller reported “a male on the side of the road carrying a knife in front of him, stretched out”.
Officers did not file a report about the incident.
Other 911 calls reported “suspicious” men being spotted in the areas.
Student says victim was having ‘normal night’ before murder
Tuesday 29 November 2022 16:50 , Rachel Sharp
A University of Idaho student has revealed that she saw one of the victims enjoying a “normal night” out just hours before she was brutally murdered in her rental home.
Madison Moye told Fox News Digital that Madison Mogen spent much of the night of 12 November at The Corner Club bar in downtown Moscow.
Ms Moye, a 21-year-old sophomore and fellow member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority, said that she saw nothing out of the ordinary, with Mogen “laughing with all her friends” at the sports bar.
“It was just a normal night in Moscow,” said.
“Moscow is a safe place. Nothing like this ever happens … I didn’t think anything of it.”
Ms Moye lives in a home behind the murder house and said that she knew the victims and had visited their house to “hang out” with them. Mogen and Xana Kernodle were both members of Pi Beta Phi
The close proximity from her home to the crime scene left her wondering if the killer might have passed through her yard, she admitted.
“It’s definitely something that’s crossed my mind and that’s really terrifying,” she said.
Idaho college murders: The rumours and conspiracy theories ruled out by investigators
Tuesday 29 November 2022 16:28 , Rachel Sharp
Two weeks have now 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.
Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were found murdered in the off-campus home that the three female students shared in the early hours of 13 November.
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
