(Trends Wide) — Police in Moscow, Idaho, have asked the public to remain vigilant after providing new details about a quadruple homicide that occurred near the University of Idaho campus. Among the new details are that two roommates were in the house where the students were killed at the time of the attack and that the door to the house was open when officers arrived at the crime scene.
“We cannot say that there is no threat to the community and as we have already said, please remain vigilant, report any suspicious activity and be aware of your surroundings at all times,” Moscow Police Chief James Fry said Wednesday. , during a press conference. Earlier, the police had said there was no threat to the community.
New details of the investigation came days after four University of Idaho students (Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves) were found dead at a bloody crime scene Sunday afternoon, vandalizing the sense of safety of the small college community that sits near the Idaho/Washington border.
Local police have been working with the Idaho State Police and the FBI, but they still have no suspect, motive for the crime or weapon, worrying the city of 25,000 that hadn’t had a murder since 2015, according to data. of the state police.
Crime has “affected all of us, families, the University of Idaho, our community, our country and our officers,” Fry said.
“We are reviewing the video we obtained, but we ask that citizens contact us with any information they may have that will assist in this investigation,” he added.
The University of Idaho canceled classes Monday but have since resumed, according to Scott Green, the university’s president.
“A number of our students want to go to class,” Green said Wednesday. “They feel comfortable being around other students. They feel comfortable interacting and keeping busy with their faculty, and attending classes, labs; some are working on their semester projects, from what we have learned.”
Green said the school is “encouraging students and staff to be careful” as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches.
In a statement released Wednesday, Green said the school has “continually pushed for as much information as possible, knowing that we cannot interfere with the important work of good research.”
“We just want justice for the victims,” he said.
Agents investigate Sunday at the scene of the quadruple homicide at a home near the University of Idaho.
Police: Two roommates were in the house during the murders
As the investigation progresses, the police have begun to draw up a timeline of what happened in the hours leading up to the murders.
Chapin and Kernodle were at a party on campus Saturday night, while Mogen and Goncalves were at a downtown bar before everyone returned home early Sunday morning, sometime after 1: 45 a.m., said Fry.
Mogen and Goncalves were seen ordering at a late-night food truck in Moscow that night, a live Twitch stream of the Grub Truckers show shows. The couple approached the truck at around 1:41 a.m., placed a food order, and chatted with each other and others as they waited for their order.
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Joseph Woodall, 26, who drives the bus, said the two students did not appear to be in any danger or distressed.
All four victims died sometime early Sunday morning, Fry said, but there was no 911 call until noon. All four victims were stabbed with a knife, he added.
The police chief did not disclose who called 911, but said two other roommates were in the home at the time of the deaths, neither of whom were injured or taken hostage.
“We’re not just targeting them, we’re targeting everyone who might have been going to and coming from that residence,” he said.
The two roommates have fully cooperated with law enforcement, Idaho State Police spokesman Aaron Snell told Trends Wide Wednesday.
Clockwise from left: University of Idaho students Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, and Kaylee Goncalves.
After the 911 call about an unconscious person, officers found the home’s door open and a gruesome crime scene inside.
There was no evidence of forced entry, Fry said. “We’re not 100% sure the door was open, but there was no damage to anything and the door was still open when we got to the location,” Fry said.
Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt told Trends Wide affiliate KXLY on Tuesday that there was “quite a bit of blood in the apartment.”
“It was quite traumatic to find four college students dead in a residence,” he said.
Mabbutt added that autopsies could provide more information about what happened.
“There could be some, you know, some evidence on the suspect that we get during the autopsies that is useful,” Mabbutt said.
Families pay tribute to group of friends
Just hours before her death, Goncalves posted a photo of the foursome with the caption “(I’m) a lucky girl to be surrounded by these people every day,” adding a heart emoji.
The 21-year-old from Rathdrum, Idaho, was a senior majoring in general studies and a member of Alpha Phi sorority.
Her older sister, Alivea Goncalves, sent a statement to the Idaho Statesman on behalf of her and Mogen’s family.
“They were smart, they were attentive, they were careful, and all of this happened the same way,” he said. “No one is in custody and that means no one is safe. Yes, we are heartbroken. Yes, we are holding on. But stronger than any of these feelings is anger. We are angry. You should be angry too.”
Mogen, 21, was from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and was in her senior year majoring in marketing. She was a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority.
Chapin, 20, was one of three triplets, all enrolled at the University of Idaho, his family said in a statement. He was a freshman from Conway, Washington, majoring in recreation, sports, and tourism management. He was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.
“Ethan lit up every room he walked into and was a kind, loyal and loving son, brother, cousin and friend,” said his mother, Stacy Chapin. “Words cannot express the pain and devastation our family is experiencing. It breaks my heart to know that we will never be able to hug or laugh with Ethan again, but it’s also unbearable to think about the horrible way he was taken from us.”
Kernodle, 20, was from Avondale, Arizona. She was majoring in marketing and was a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority.
She was “positive, funny and loved by everyone who knew her,” said her older sister, Jazzmin Kernodle.
“He was so upbeat and always lifted the mood in the room,” Jazzmin Kernodle said. “She made me a proud big sister, and I wish I could have spent more time with her. She had so much life left to live. My family and I are left speechless, confused and anxiously awaiting updates on the investigation.”
He also offered his condolences to the other victims and their families. “My sister was so lucky to have them in her life.”
