Idaho murders - updates: Eerie new crime scene detail emerges as Moscow police target mystery car
A neighbour of the University of Idaho students brutally stabbed last month has revealed new details about the crime scene on the day of the slayings.
Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle were killed between 3am and 4am on 13 November, Moscow Police have previously said. The group had arrived home before 2am and were found dead by law enforcement around noon after a 911 call was made from the phone of one of the surviving roommates.
Chapin and Kernodle’s bodies were found on the second floor while Mogen and Goncalves were found inside a room on the third floor. The two roommates were on the first floor during the stabbings but are believed to have slept through it before the call about an “unconscious person” was made nearly nine hours later.
Now, a neighbour of the victims has told Fox News Digital that they had seen the front door, which opens to the first level, wide open around 8.30am the day of the attack.
Meanwhile, investigators are searching for the occupant or occupants of a white 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra that was seen “in the immediate area” of the home on King Road in the early hours of 13 November. The occupant “may have critical information to share regarding this case,” police said, as they asked for the public’s help.
More than three weeks on from the slayings, no arrests have been made and no suspects named.
Key points
Police say individuals cleared as suspects may be reinterviewed
Kaylee Goncalves’ family mull legal options
Police chief breaks down as he vows case ‘not going cold’
Victims' belongings to be returned to families
Details revealed about Kaylee Goncalves’ ‘stalker’ claim
Police seek occupants of white Hyundai Elentra
Idaho police offer new details about slain student Kaylee Goncalves’ dog
09:50 , Rachel Sharp
Moscow Police said in an update on Monday that Murphy, the pet dog that victim Kaylee Goncalves shared with her former long-term boyfriend, was found in a room where the crimes had not been committed.
“Officers did not find any evidence on the dog and there was no indication the animal had entered the crime scene,” the statement said.
It remains unclear where Murphy was physically located when the murders took place, police said.
Investigators previously revealed that the dog was found inside the home when officers arrived on the scene of the murders on 13 November.
Moscow police debunk rumours around white car seen in bodycam video
09:30 , Andrea Blanco
Video circulated on social media showed a Moscow Police officer speaking to individuals less than a mile away from the off-campus home where Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle were stabbed to death on 13 November.
The interaction, which police said stemmed from an alcohol offence, took place just before 3am, putting it right up against the 3am to 4am window in which the students were thought to have been killed.
But Moscow Police have now shut down speculation around the video,
The Independent has the story:
Idaho police debunk rumours around car seen in bodycam on night of student murders
Moscow police reveal Kaylee Goncalves’ ‘stalker’ incident, rule out connection to murders
09:00 , Andrea Blanco
In a statement on Monday, the department said on Facebook that they are aware of an “isolated” incident involving Goncalves and two men back in October. The men, who reportedly followed Goncalves into a business and as she returned to her car, are not believed to be involved in the murder, Moscow police said.
“In mid-October, two males were seen inside a local business; they parted ways, and one male appeared to follow Kaylee inside the business and as she exited to walk toward her car. The male turned away, and it did not appear he made any contact with her,” the post read.
It continued: “Detectives contacted both males and learned the two were attempting to meet women at the business, this was corroborated through additional investigation. Based on available information, detectives believe this was an isolated incident and not an ongoing pattern of stalking. No evidence suggests the two males were involved in the murders.”
What happened in the Idaho murder victims’ final hours?
08:30 , Andrea Blanco
They did what they’d do on any Saturday night. Could clues to the Idaho killings lie in victims’ ordinary evenings?
Reporting from Moscow, The Independent’s Sheila Flynn outlines the four young students’ final hours.
Campus to club to crime scene: Final hours of Idaho college murder victims
Former University of Idaho student raises $20,000 for personal alarms
08:00 , Andrea Blanco
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.
The Independent’s Io Dodds has the story:
Ex-University of Idaho student raises $20,000 for personal alarms after murders
Moscow Police Chief James Fry says case 'is not going cold’
07:30 , Andrea Blanco
Mr Fry broke down in tears on Tuesday as he insisted that the case is “not going cold” and that – as a father himself – the murders of the four students “affects us”.
“This case is not going cold. We have tips coming in, we have investigators out every day interviewing people. We’re still reviewing evidence, we’re still looking at all aspects of this,” he said in an interview with Fox News.
“I said early on that no stone will go unturned, and I mean that. We are going to continue. This case is not going cold.”
The police chief became emotional as he revealed that the investigation is taking its toll on law enforcement officials who are doing everything they can to catch the mass murderer.
Murdered Idaho student’s family mull legal action
07:00 , Andrea Blanco
Steve Goncalves told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that he has been consulting with several attorneys about what legal avenues he could use to challenge what he feels is a lack of transparency and progress from police.
“There are things that we can request and things we can do to get to the truth faster,” he said.
“You have to fill out forms to get this evidence released to you. I don’t know how to do that.”
He added: “They’ve messed up a million times. But I don’t get to say that because what experience does Steve have? He doesn’t know.
“He’s just a dad who woke up one day and had his life turned upside down.”
These 11 questions could hold the key to solving the Idaho murders
06:30 , Andrea Blanco
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
Idaho police to reunite families of murdered students with their belongings as tensions grow over probe
06:00 , Andrea Blanco
Police in Moscow have announced that they will return some personal items belonging to the four University of Idaho students who were murdered at their off-campus home last month.
In a Facebook update, Moscow police said on Tuesday: “Starting Wednesday morning, December 7, 2022, and potentially into Thursday, Moscow police chief James Fry, along with members of the department, will collect and remove some of the victims’ personal belongings from the residence, which are no longer needed for the investigation, so that they can be returned to the families.
“The items will be loaded into a truck and transferred to a secure location until the families can collect the belongings. These arrangements were made in coordination with the families.”
Ted Bundy’s former attorney weighs in on University of Idaho students’ brutal murders
05:30 , Andrea Blanco
In an interview with Fox News Digital on Wednesday, John Henry Browne compared the crime scene at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho, to a “de facto sorority house,” which Bundy targeted during his violent crime sprees in the 1970s.
Mr Browne is not involved in any way with the investigation into the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. Authorities investigating the 13 November slayings have never suggested that a serial killer could be behind the crime.
The Independent has the story:
Ted Bundy’s former attorney weighs in on Moscow students’ brutal murders
Neighbour of University of Idaho murder victims says ‘front door was left wide open’ after the killings
05:00 , Andrea Blanco
A neighbour of the University of Idaho students murdered in their off-campus rental home in Moscow last has revealed new details about the crime scene.
Read more:
Neighbour of Moscow murder victims says ‘front door was left open’ after slayings
Everything we know about the ‘messy’ crime scene
04:00 , Andrea Blanco
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.
A timeline of the victims’ last hours
03:00 , Andrea Blanco
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.
The rumours and conspiracy theories ruled out by investigators
02:00 , Andrea Blanco
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.
The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the story:
Idaho college murders: The rumours and conspiracy theories ruled out
Mother of victim hits out at police investigation saying she learns more from news
01:00 , Andrea Blanco
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 concerning the police investigation that has so far not turned up any suspects.
Speaking with anchor Ashleigh Banfield, Ms Northington said of her communication with the police: “They haven’t said anything. I learn more on the news and on TV than what they have said to me.”
Kaylee’s father says she may have been prime target and ‘means of death’ don’t all match
00:00 , Andrea Blanco
Steven Goncalves, father of 21-year-old Kaylee, said that the suspect went upstairs where his daughter and her best friend Mogen, 21, were sleeping on the same bed on the top floor, which was out of the way of the killer’s entry point.
Authorities said that the perpetrator entered the house through a sliding glass door or window on the second floor of the home, which meets a hill on the ground level in the backyard.
The other two victims — Kernodle and Chaplin — were found dead on the second floor of the house.
Read more:
Father of Idaho murder victim says his daughter may have been prime target
University of Idaho alumna raised $20,000 for personal alarms in wake of murders
Thursday 8 December 2022 22:56 , Andrea Blanco
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.
The Independent’s Io Dodds and Rachel Sharp have the story:
Ex-University of Idaho student raises $20,000 for personal alarms after murders
Murdered Idaho student Kaylee Goncalves died in same bed as her best friend
Thursday 8 December 2022 22:03 , Andrea Blanco
Last week, Steven Goncalves spoke about the strong bond between his daughter Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen, both killed on 13 November.
“They just found each other, and every day they did homework together, they came to our house together, they shared everything,” he said.
He added: “Then they started looking at colleges, they came here together. They eventually get into the same apartment together.”
“And in the end, they died together, in the same room, in the same bed.”
Former FBI agent says case could take ‘a long time’ to solve
Thursday 8 December 2022 20:34 , Andrea Blanco
Jennifer Coffindaffer, a former FBI agent who worked 25 years for the agency, told NBC News on Wednesday that it could be a long time before the murderer of four University of Idaho students is brought to justice.
“This is a case that only the most experienced crime techs can solve and answer,” Ms Coffindaffer said. “It’s going to take a long, long time.”
The veteran former agent said on Twitter that the case, which entered its third week on Sunday, could test the patience of law enforcement.
“True joint LE effort with local, state & federal authorities coming together to do everything in their power to solve this case,” she added. “This case will test patience as LE examines evidence to find the killer.”
Idaho police address rumours about ‘hoodie guy’ seen near Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen hours before murders
Thursday 8 December 2022 19:46 , Andrea Blanco
A Twitch livestream from the Grub Truck in Moscow, Idaho, captured the man standing nearby Goncalves and Madison Mogen on the night of 12 November, hours before the women were stabbed to death along with their roommate Xana Kernodle and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin at an off-campus home.
While the man was cleared by Moscow police shortly after the video emerged, Goncalves’ father Steve Goncalves suggested that police may have ruled him out too quickly in his interview with the Post, claiming that he’d heard the man had since left the country and declined a DNA test.
On Wednesday, Idaho State Police spokesperson Aaron Snell told The Independent that investigators are “aware of the rumours”, but did not confirm or deny them.
“The person in question continues cooperating with the investigation,” Mr Snell added.
‘Case is not cold,’ chief says
Thursday 8 December 2022 19:01 , Andrea Blanco
Moscow Police Chief James Fry has insisted that the case is “not going cold” despite no arrests being made and no suspects named more than three weeks on from the murders.
“This case is not going cold. We have tips coming in, we have investigators out every day interviewing people. We’re still reviewing evidence, we’re still looking at all aspects of this,” he said in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday.
“I said early on that no stone will go unturned, and I mean that. We are going to continue. This case is not going cold.”
The police chief choked back tears as he said that – as a father himself – the murders of the four students “affects us”.
Police revealed on Wednesday that they are seeking information about the occupants of a white Hyundai Elantra seen near the scene of the murders in the “early morning hours” of 13 November.
Kaylee Goncalves’ family considers legal action
Thursday 8 December 2022 18:23 , Andrea Blanco
The grieving family of murdered student Kaylee Goncalves is considering legal action to force police to release information about the case, as tensions continue to mount between law enforcement and the victims’ families.
Law enforcement officials are remaining tight-lipped about several details of the brutal killings, including who may have been the target of the attack.
Some of the victims’ families are growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of information, with Goncalves’ father Steve Goncalves accusing officials of “messing up a million times” during the ongoing probe.
The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:
Murdered Idaho student’s family mull legal action as tensions mount with police
Three weeks into the investigation, no murder weapon has been found.
Thursday 8 December 2022 17:39 , Andrea Blanco
Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt has said hat 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 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.
Kaylee Goncalves’ ‘stalker’ incident is ruled out
Thursday 8 December 2022 17:07 , Andrea Blanco
In a statement on Monday, the department said on Facebook that they are aware of an “isolated” incident involving Goncalves and two men back in October. The men, who reportedly followed Goncalves into a business and as she returned to her car, are not believed to be involved in the murder, Moscow police said.
“In mid-October, two males were seen inside a local business; they parted ways, and one male appeared to follow Kaylee inside the business and as she exited to walk toward her car. The male turned away, and it did not appear he made any contact with her,” the post read.
It continued: “Detectives contacted both males and learned the two were attempting to meet women at the business, this was corroborated through additional investigation. Based on available information, detectives believe this was an isolated incident and not an ongoing pattern of stalking. No evidence suggests the two males were involved in the murders.”
These questions could hold the key to solving the Idaho murders
Thursday 8 December 2022 16:20 , Andrea Blanco
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
From campus to club to crime scene: What happened in the Idaho murder victims’ final hours
Thursday 8 December 2022 15:46 , Andrea Blanco
They did what they’d do on any Saturday night.
Could clues to the Idaho killings lie in victims’ ordinary evenings?
Reporting from Moscow, The Independent’s Sheila Flynn outlines the four young students’ final hours:
Mystery sixth housemate not believed to be connected to murders
Thursday 8 December 2022 15:20 , Rachel Sharp
The mystery sixth person listed on the lease of the student home where the four students were brutally murdered in their beds is not believed to have been involved in the killings.
Moscow Police said on Friday that they had spoken to the unnamed individual and confirmed that they moved out of the property before the start of the school year.
The individual was not present at the time of the murders and detectives do not believe they had any involvement in the crime, police said in a statement.
The identity of that person has not been publicly released. It is not clear if they are a fellow student and friend of the victims.
Police revealed for the first time on Thursday that a sixth individual is listed on the lease for the three-storey home.
The revelation came after authorities previously said only five people lived at the home on King Road in Moscow, Idaho – victims Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle along with two other roommates who survived the attack.
The large property has six bedrooms across three floors and is located just feet from the University of Idaho campus.
Two of the victims’ bodies were found on the third floor and the other two on the second floor.
Two surviving roommates – who have not been publicly named by authorities – were asleep in their first floor bedrooms at the time of the attack and were left unharmed. They are believed to have slept through the brutal murders.
The rumours and conspiracy theories ruled out so far:
Thursday 8 December 2022 15:00 , Rachel Sharp
More than 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.
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.
The four victims were all stabbed multiple times with a fixed-blade knife and are believed to have died at around 3am or 4am that morning.
Their bodies went undiscovered for around eight hours when police were finally called to the home to a report for an “unconscious individual”.
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
Idaho student pens op-ed about how murders ‘touches’ everyone in Moscow
Thursday 8 December 2022 14:40 , Rachel Sharp
A University of Idaho student has penned an emotional op-ed detailing how the brutal murders “touches” everyone in the small college town of Moscow and how students have been forced to adjust to a “new reality”.
Katarina Hockema, who studies journalism and marketing at the college, details in the Idaho Statesman the moment she learned about the murders and how the horror of what happened has set in over the days and weeks that followed.
“Maddened by the cruelty and disregard for human life this person (or these people) displayed. Anxious from the lack of critical information, and the seemingly endless days of little to no updates. Anxious for my safety, as a lack of suspect and a lack of threat do not align,” she wrote.
“Saddened and heartbroken for these families, these friends, and all of those who were close to Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves.”
Ms Hockema said that she didn’t personally know the victims but did take a class with Kernodle, while other victims were connected to people she knows.
Where were Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin? Five hours unaccounted for
Thursday 8 December 2022 14:20 , Rachel Sharp
There continues to be a huge gap in the timeline for the last known movements of Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.
Police said that the young couple were at a fraternity party at Sigma Chi from 8pm to 9pm on the night of 12 November.
They arrived at the home on King Road at around 1.45am on 13 November, and were stabbed to death at around 3am or 4am.
Their whereabouts in the roughly five hours between the party and returning to the student home remains unclear.
Kernodle’s mother Cara Northington has said that she believes her daughter and her daughter’s boyfriend were at a bar during that time.
However, she confirmed that she does not know that for sure.
On Monday, The Independent reached out to Moscow Police for further information.
Hours later, the department said in an update that they are still “investigating what occurred from approximately 9pm on November 12th to 1.45am on November 13th, when Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle were believed to be at the Sigma Chi house on the University of Idaho Campus at 735 Nez Perce Drive”.
Investigators are urging anyone with information about “any interactions, contacts, direction and method of travel, or anything abnormal” to come forward to help “add context to what occurred”.
Police insist case ‘not cold'
Thursday 8 December 2022 14:00 , Rachel Sharp
Moscow Police Chief James Fry has insisted that the case is “not going cold” despite no arrests being made and no suspects named more than three weeks on from the murders.
“This case is not going cold. We have tips coming in, we have investigators out every day interviewing people. We’re still reviewing evidence, we’re still looking at all aspects of this,” he said in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday.
“I said early on that no stone will go unturned, and I mean that. We are going to continue. This case is not going cold.”
The police chief choked back tears as he said that – as a father himself – the murders of the four students “affects us”.
Murdered Idaho student’s family mull legal action as police chief breaks down and vows case ‘isn’t cold’
Thursday 8 December 2022 13:40 , Rachel Sharp
The grieving family of murdered University of Idaho student Kaylee Goncalves are considering legal action to force police to release information about the case, as tensions continue to mount between law enforcement and the victims’ families.
More than three weeks have now passed since Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were murdered in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, and police appear to be no closer to catching the killer.
No suspects have been named, no arrests made and the murder weapon – a fixed-blade knife – is yet to be recovered.
Law enforcement officials are remaining tight-lipped about several details of the brutal killings, including who may have been the target of the attack.
The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:
Murdered Idaho student’s family mull legal action as tensions mount with police
Up to 40 percent of students haven’t returned to campus
Thursday 8 December 2022 13:20 , Rachel Sharp
Up to 40 percent of University of Idaho students have chosen not to return to campus for the remainder of the winter semester in light of the killer of four students still being at large.
Data from the college has revealed that around 60 to 75 percent of students are on campus – meaning around 25 to 40 percent are not.
In October 2022 – one month before the murders – the university was home to around 11,500 students.
The student population accounts for a large proportion of the small college town of around 25,000 people.
But, with no arrests made in the brutal murders, many students have chosen not to return.
Among those who have, many have changed their habits.
The Independent previously reported how students are arming themselves with guns and ordering deadlocks for their doors in efforts to keep them safe.
Police chief breaks down as he vows case ‘not going cold’
Thursday 8 December 2022 13:00 , Rachel Sharp
Moscow Police Chief James Fry broke down in tears on Tuesday as he vowed that the case is “not going cold”.
The police chief became emotional in an interview with Fox News as he said that, as a father, the brutal murders of the four students “affects us”.
“This case is not going cold. We have tips coming in, we have investigators out every day interviewing people. We’re still reviewing evidence, we’re still looking at all aspects of this,” he said.
“I said early on that no stone will go unturned, and I mean that. We are going to continue. This case is not going cold.”
He revealed that the investigation is taking its toll on law enforcement as authorities are doing everything they can to catch the mass murderer.
“I’m a dad with daughters, and it’s tough. We’re human,” he said.
“We don’t go to these and just turn it off. It affects us. But we have a job to do, and we’re going to continue to do that job, going to continue to push forward.”
Idaho lawmaker warns of ‘snowballing disaster’ if killer isn’t caught
Thursday 8 December 2022 12:40 , Rachel Sharp
An Idaho state lawmaker has warned there will be a “snowballing disaster” if the killer who knifed four students to death in their beds isn’t caught.
Idaho House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, a Democrat who represents parts of Boise, told local outlet KHQ on Tuesday that, if the case isn’t solved soon, the University of Idaho will likely face “collapsing enrollment” at the college.
“I think, actually, it’s going to be a snowballing disaster if they don’t get to the bottom of it,” she said.
“I’m really concerned that we’re going to see dropping enrollment at U of I. My daughter’s best friend is there. I know folks who are there who do not want to go back.
“I think they’re going to see collapsing enrollment. They’re going to see people transferring out.”
The lawmaker said that parents won’t want to send their children to a campus where a killer could still be at large.
“Nobody wants to send their kids to a community where they could face this kind of horror,” she said.
“It’s every parent’s worst nightmare, it’s every student’s worst nightmare. They have got to find the perpetrator.”
Idaho police say individuals cleared as suspects in college student murders may be reinterviewed
Thursday 8 December 2022 12:20 , Rachel Sharp
Individuals who have already been publicly cleared as suspects in the brutal murders of four University of Idaho students may be reinterviewed by law enforcement as the investigation rumbles on for a fourth week and the killer remains at large.
Moscow Police Chief James Fry told Fox News on Tuesday that “cleared” individuals could still be called back in to speak with police if the evidence leads law enforcement back to them.
“We always have the option of reinterviewing,” he said.
“We’ve actually reinterviewed people two or three times because we’ll get tips, or we’ll get information that we need to verify again, and sometimes we need to ask the questions just a little bit different to ensure that we’re getting the proper information to continue on with this investigation. So, that happens regularly in all investigations.”
The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:
Idaho police say people cleared as suspects in student murders may be reinterviewed
Moscow police return personal belongings to families
Thursday 8 December 2022 12:00 , Rachel Sharp
Police were seen removing some of the victims’ personal belongings from the home on King Road on Wednesday so that they could be returned to their grieving families.
Moscow Police Chief James Fry told reporters outside the home that the items returned included “some of the things that the family wanted and just other belongings”.
“We’re just trying to get stuff back to the families so that they can have some closure,” he said.
When asked how it was for him to return to the scene of the massacre, he said: “We have a job to do and I said yesterday we’re going to do our job and to the best of our ability.
“We owe this to the families, we owe this to the victims, we owe this to our community. So we’re going to continue on.”
Moscow, Idaho Police chief speaking after removing victims personal items from house. pic.twitter.com/EzuGuaROFi
— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) December 7, 2022
Idaho police search for white Hyundai car in university murder probe
Thursday 8 December 2022 11:40 , Rachel Sharp
Moscow Police are searching for the occupants of a white 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra that was seen near the home where the four students were knifed to death on 13 November.
“Detectives are interested in speaking with the occupant(s) of a white 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra, with an unknown license plate,” police said on Wednesday.
“Tips and leads have led investigators to look for additional information about a vehicle being in the immediate area of the King Street residence during the early morning hours of November 13th.”
Police said that the occupant or occupants “may have critical information to share regarding this case” and urged the public to come forward with information which could be the missing “piece of the puzzle”.
No further details about the vehicle or its potential connection to the case were revealed and it is not clear if the occupant or occupants may be suspects.
“If you know of or own a vehicle matching this description, or know of anyone who may have been driving this vehicle on the days preceding or the day of the murders, please forward that information to the Tip Line,” police said.
“Your information, whether you believe it is significant or not, might be the piece of the puzzle that helps investigators solve these murders.”
Information can be submitted to the Tip Line at 208-883-7180 or by email to tipline@ci.moscow.id.us or at fbi.gov/moscowidaho
Idaho police address rumours about ‘hoodie guy’ seen near Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen hours before murders
Thursday 8 December 2022 11:20 , Rachel Sharp
A Twitch livestream from the Grub Truck in Moscow, Idaho, captured the man standing nearby Goncalves and Madison Mogen on the night of 12 November, hours before the women were stabbed to death along with their roommate Xana Kernodle and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin at an off-campus home.
While the man was cleared by Moscow police shortly after the video emerged, Goncalves’ father Steve Goncalves suggested that police may have ruled him out too quickly in his interview with the Post, claiming that he’d heard the man had since left the country and declined a DNA test.
On Wednesday, Idaho State Police spokesperson Aaron Snell told The Independent that investigators are “aware of the rumours”, but did not confirm or deny them.
“The person in question continues cooperating with the investigation,” Mr Snell added.
The Independent has the story:
Idaho police address rumours about ‘hoodie guy’ seen near victims before murders
