(Trends Wide) — As the University of Idaho mourns the loss of four students killed during an attack on an off-campus home last weekend, the community remains in crisis over few details about the students’ deaths and the absence of an identified suspect.
The four students — Ethan Chapin, 20; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Madison Mogen, 21, were found stabbed to death Sunday on the second and third floors of the residence where they lived in Moscow, Idaho, according to authorities.
Key details about how the gruesome attack unfolded remained unclear Friday, even after the Moscow Police Department provided an update on its extensive investigation that includes federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
Police revealed that the four victims were “probably asleep” at the time of the attack which occurred during the early hours of Sunday morning and each was stabbed multiple times. The attacks were not reported to authorities until around noon that day, police said.
A week after the slayings rocked the small college town of about 26,000, investigators have yet to identify a suspect or find the murder weapon used to carry out the gruesome attacks.
Here’s what we know, and what we still don’t know, as the investigation progresses:
It is unclear how the physical confrontation unfolded.
The murders of the four victims were ruled stabbing homicides, according to Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt. Of the victims, “some had defensive wounds,” Moscow police said in their most recent update on Friday.
But it is not clear how many of the victims or which of the victims had precisely defensive wounds.
Earlier this week, Xana Kernodle’s father revealed that his daughter fought her attacker to the bitter end.
“Bruises, torn by the knife. She was a tough girl,” Jeffrey Kernodle told Trends Wide affiliate KPHO/KTVK in Avondale, Arizona.
When Mabbutt arrived at the crime scene, he saw “a lot of blood on the wall,” he told Trends Wide.
Each victim was stabbed multiple times, likely with the same weapon, Mabbutt said, without specifying how many injuries or where most occurred.
Moscow police also said Friday that the victims were not “bound or gagged” during the attack. Autopsies of the victims found no signs of sexual assault, Mabbutt said.
The method of entry into the residence and the weapon remain a mystery.
When police arrived at the home after receiving a 911 call, the door was open and there was no damage inside, Moscow Police Chief James Fry said. There was no evidence of forced entry, he said.
One of the doors used to access the house had a keypad that requires a code to gain entry, according to Jeffrey Kernodle.
Four University of Idaho students were found stabbed to death on November 13 in their shared house near campus in Moscow, Idaho.
Alivea Goncalves, Kaylee’s sister, noted that the residence was known to be a “party house” and had been for some time.
“So that code probably wasn’t very private,” Goncalves told ABC World News Tonight.
The house also has a sliding door that could have been used to enter, Jeffrey Kernodle told KPHO/KTVK.
Coupled with the lack of identification of the suspect, police have yet to locate the murder weapon used.
To that end, investigators have asked local businesses for information on any recent purchases of a “fixed blade knife.” Moscow police did not provide further information on those details.
The chronology under analysis
Hoping to get input from the community, investigators on Friday released a map and a timeline of the victims’ movements over the past weekend. The map shows that the four students spent most of the night separated in pairs.
Chapin and Kernodle attended a party at the Sigma Chi fraternity house from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday.
Goncalves and Mogen, for their part, were at the Corner Club sports bar between 10 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. The pair were then seen ordering food from a truck, according to a live Twitch stream from the truck.
As they waited for their food for about 10 minutes, they chatted to each other and to other people standing by the truck. The man driving the truck told Trends Wide the couple did not appear to be distressed or in any way in danger.
Goncalves and Mogen used a “private company” for a ride and arrived home at 1:45 a.m., police said. The four victims returned to the home around 1:45 a.m. Sunday.
Surviving roommates could be the key
Two other roommates were at home at the time of the attack and were unharmed, Fry said earlier this week. Moscow police “do not believe” the two surviving roommates or a man seen on surveillance video from the food truck were involved in the crime, the department said Friday.
Aaron Snell, director of communications for the Idaho State Police, told ABC that the surviving roommates could provide some important leads for the investigation.
“Potentially they are witnesses, potentially they are victims,” Snell said in an interview with ABC’s Kayna Whitworth. “They are potentially the key to all of this.”
Authorities hope the roommates can help them “figure out what happened and why,” Snell said.
“That is his story to tell,” he said. “No one has been declared included or excluded as a person of interest and/or suspect. They are all still being investigated,” she stated.
38 interviews conducted so far
Police said they received a 911 call around noon Sunday reporting that a person was unconscious in the home. The person who made the call has not been identified.
By Friday afternoon, investigators had conducted 38 interviews with people “who might have information about the killings,” Moscow police said.
Authorities also seized items from three dumpsters near the home to review possible evidence, police said Friday.
Detectives were working on processing nearly 500 tips received as of Friday afternoon, police added, and Moscow police are leading the investigation with help from the Idaho State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Investigation. of the Latah County Sheriff.
University officials provided an information line by email to the Moscow police on Friday.
They plan a vigil after the Thanksgiving break
The university announced that a candlelight vigil will be held in memory of the four slain students.
The vigil will take place on campus on November 30, as reported by the university on Fridayand those unable to attend in person are also invited to participate in the ceremony.
“Join us from wherever you are, individually or as a group, to help us light up Idaho. Light a candle, turn on the stadium lights, or hold a moment of silence with us as we come together on campus,” the university said. The vigil would be held after the Thanksgiving holiday so that more people have the opportunity to attend.
University of Idaho President Scott Green sent out a memo Thursday encouraging students to pursue their best course of action as the university community processes the homicides.
“We need to stay flexible this week and give our students and colleagues space to process these unprecedented events in their own way,” Green said. “Students, you are encouraged to do what is right for you. Whether it’s going home early or staying in class, you have our support.
Trends Wide’s Christina Maxouris, Paradise Afshar, Joe Sutton, Ray Sanchez, Veronica Miracle, Sharif Paget, Caroll Alvarado, Taylor Romine, Jason Kravarik and Andi Babineau contributed to this report.
