A week after four students from the University of Idaho were discovered stabbed to death, police begged the public to be patient while detectives combed through hundreds of leads and questioned dozens of individuals.
A week after the triple killing, the Moscow Police Department conducted a news conference alongside state and federal law enforcement, but provided little new facts.
Moscow police continue to suspect that the incident was premeditated, but are unable to disclose additional details.
“It was a sophisticated and heinous crime, and it will take time to solve,” cautioned Moscow Police Chief James Fry.
“We feel they are targeted because we consider the totality of the situation. Do we know who was specifically targeted?” Also, Fry said. Due to our ongoing investigation, we are unable to comment at this time, but we continue to think that.
Fry stated that the 911 call concerning a corpse that was unconscious originated from one of the roommates’ phones, but he declined to specify who made the call. However, he recalled that other people had arrived at the residence about the time of the phone conversation.
He further emphasized that the 911 caller was not the murderer.
James Fry, the chief of the Moscow Police Department, held a news conference on November 20, 2022 in Moscow, Idaho.
James Keivom
Over the last week, law enforcement has received over 600 tips and conducted 90 interviews, according to Fry, but officials remain uncertain as to the location of the killer or killers.
“We are searching anywhere the evidence may lead.
“I cannot tell if the individual is present or in what town they reside,” Fry added.
“We are use every available resource to pinpoint the individual’s whereabouts.”
When questioned whether the culprit may be in another state, Fry responded, “We’re searching everywhere.”
Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, both seniors, Xana Kernodle, a junior, and Ethan Chapin, a freshman, were discovered stabbed to death on Sunday at noon.
Authorities suspect the four were murdered while sleeping earlier that morning. Chapin was in a relationship with Kernodle, and the three ladies lived together.
A large number of students have fled the city of 25,000 before the Thanksgiving holiday. Scott Green, president of the University of Idaho, stated during the news conference that many students do not want to return.
“Security is our number one priority. Green added, “We’re also prepared for the very real prospect that some kids won’t feel safe returning to school.”
“While we hope for a speedy resolution with the arrest of whoever committed this crime, we must also be prepared for all eventualities, including a protracted inquiry,” he added.
Madison Mogen, 21, was brutally killed with Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Ethan Chapin, 20, and Xana Kernodle, 20.
Moscow police continue to suspect that the incident was planned.
James Keivom
Sunday around 1:45 a.m., Chapin and Kernodle were observed visiting the Sigma Chi fraternity house before returning home. Goncalves and Mogen were at a prominent Moscow bar until 1:30 a.m., after which they visited a food truck and took a ride-hailing service home at 1:45 a.m.
Two of the casualties were located on the second floor, while the remaining two were located on the third story. According to investigators, they were stabbed many times, and some suffered defensive wounds.
Police first asserted there was no threat to the neighborhood following the gruesome find, but then recanted and encouraged residents to remain watchful.
Dozens of FBI agents and state police have been deployed to the case to help the Moscow Police Department.
Even though authorities combed through trash close to the crime site, no murder weapon was found.
Authorities determined that the 911 caller was not the murderer.
James Keivom
In the last week, law enforcement has received over 600 tips and conducted 90 interviews.
James Keivom
“Early in the inquiry, local shops were contacted to see whether any knives with a fixed blade had been acquired recently,” stated Moscow police captain Roger Lanier. “There are presently no suspects in custody, nor have we discovered any weapons.”
Police have ruled out as suspects the two roommates, the guy seen at the food truck near Goncalves and Mogen, and the ride-hailing driver who drove the two college students home.
Fry said that investigators felt Goncalves and Mogen’s repeated phone conversations to a guy were unrelated to the incident. According to Fox News Digital, the parents of Goncalves stated that they did not believe their daughter’s ex-boyfriend was connected with the crime.
“We recognize that people want answers, and so do we,” stated Colonel Kendrick Wills of the Idaho State Police.
The police are requesting that anybody with knowledge about the case contact them.