(Trends Wide) — It’s been more than two weeks since four University of Idaho students were stabbed to death at an off-campus home, and with no suspects or arrests in the case, “people are afraid” to return to campus after the school break. Thanksgiving, a student said Monday.
“It definitely feels a little different,” said student Hayden Rich. “There’s kind of a different vibe. It seems like a sad vibe. It’s kind of quiet,” he added.
With a killer on the loose, it’s unclear how many students will return to Moscow, Idaho, for the last two weeks of school before winter break.
Student Ava Forsyth said her roommate is staying home because she doesn’t feel safe. She also said she feels “moderately” safe, but “not as much” at night, when there is free security on campus.
University of Idaho President Scott Green acknowledged last week that some students did not want to return until the suspect was in custody.
“Therefore, faculty have been asked to prepare in-person teaching and distance learning options so that each student can choose their method of engagement for the last two weeks of the semester,” he wrote in a statement.
Rich said he decided to come back for the many tests he has this week. Student Lexi Way told Trends Wide that she feels safe with increased security on campus, and she “tends to learn better in person.”
The university scheduled a vigil for this Wednesday in commemoration of the victims.
Dozens of local, state and federal investigators are still working to determine who carried out the brutal attack. Investigators have yet to identify a suspect or find a weapon, believed to be a fixed-blade knife, and have examined more than 1,000 leads and conducted at least 150 interviews.
The four students: Ethan Chapin, 20; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Madison Mogen, 21, were found stabbed to death on November 13 in an off-campus house in Moscow. The homicides have unsettled the university community and the city of about 25,000, which had not recorded a homicide since 2015.
Police have said they believe the killings were “selective” and “isolated” but have released no evidence to support that analysis. They also initially said there was no threat to the public, but later backed down.
“We can’t say there isn’t a threat to the community,” Police Chief James Fry said days after the slayings.
Authorities said they have not ruled out the possibility that more than one person was involved in the stabbings.
Meanwhile, a former student told Trends Wide’s Paula Reid on Sunday that she has raised more than $19,000 to buy and distribute personal alarms to students as a way to increase security on campus.
“It’s been completely overwhelming in the best way possible,” said former student Kelly Uhlorn. “Something that started very, very small has just exploded and it’s amazing to see the community come together like that.”
Extensive evidence collected at the scene
Investigators have released a map showing the movements of four University of Idaho students the night they died. Credit: Moscow Police Department
So far, thanks to the evidence collected at the scene and the accumulation of clues and interviews, the investigators have been able to develop an approximate time line and a map of the last hours of the group.
The night of the homicides, Goncalves and Mogen were at a sports bar, and Chapin and Kernodle were seen at a frat party.
Investigators believe all four victims had returned to the home at 2 a.m. the day of the stabbings. Two surviving roommates had also been out that night, police said, returning to the house at 1 a.m.
Police previously said Goncalves and Mogen returned to the home at 1:45 a.m., but updated the timeline on Friday, saying digital evidence showed the couple returned at 1:56 a.m. after visiting a truckload. food and be taken home by a “private”.
The next morning, two fellow survivors “called friends at the residence because they believed one of the victims on the second floor had passed out and was not waking up,” police said in a statement. Someone called 911 from the house at 11:58 am using the phone of one of the surviving residents.
“The call reported an unconscious person,” Moscow police Capt. Roger Lanier said Wednesday. “During that call, the dispatcher spoke to multiple people who were on the scene.”
When the police arrived, they found two victims on the second floor and another two on the third. There were no signs of forced entry or damage, police said.
Investigators do not believe the two survivors were involved in the deaths.
The coroner determined that all four victims were stabbed multiple times and that they were likely asleep when the attacks began. Some of the students had defensive wounds, according to the Latah County coroner.
At least 113 physical pieces of evidence have been collected, some 4,000 crime scene photos have been taken and several 3D scans of the house have been taken, according to police. Detectives also collected the contents of three garbage cans from the street, in case they contained any evidence.
In an effort to locate the weapon, investigators contacted local businesses to determine if a fixed blade knife had been purchased.
Police deal with flood of rumors
More than 260 digital items, which could include photos and videos, have been submitted by the public to an FBI tip form, the Moscow Police Department said in a statement Friday. The department is asking for any leads or video of the places the victims attended that night, even if there is no discernible movement or content on them.
“Detectives are also looking for additional leads and surveillance video of any unusual behavior on the night of November 12 through the early hours of November 13 while Kaylee and Madison were in downtown Moscow and while Ethan and Xana were at the house. of Sigma Chi,” the statement said.
In addition, Idaho Gov. Brad Little has pledged to commit up to $1 million in state emergency funds to help with the ongoing investigation, state police said.
As weeks go by without a suspect being named or any significant progress being made in the case, a flurry of rumors has surfaced about the murders. Moscow police addressed the issue in a press release on Friday and tried to quell some of the rumours.
“There is speculation, without factual support, that is fueling community fears and spreading false facts. We encourage you to refer to official releases for accurate information and up-to-date developments,” the statement said.
According to the police department, several people have been ruled out as suspects so far, including:
- The two surviving housemates.
- Other people who were in the house when 911 was called.
- The person who took Goncalves and Mogen to his house.
- A man seen on surveillance video of a food truck visited by Goncalves and Mogen.
- A man whom Goncalves and Mogen called “numerous times” in the hours before his death.
Police also said reports that the victims were bound or gagged are inaccurate and stressed that the identity of the 911 caller has not been released.
— Trends Wide’s Tina Burnside, Michelle Watson, Theresa Waldrop, Paradise Afshar, Veronica Miracle and Jason Kravarik contributed to this report.
(Trends Wide) — It’s been more than two weeks since four University of Idaho students were stabbed to death at an off-campus home, and with no suspects or arrests in the case, “people are afraid” to return to campus after the school break. Thanksgiving, a student said Monday.
“It definitely feels a little different,” said student Hayden Rich. “There’s kind of a different vibe. It seems like a sad vibe. It’s kind of quiet,” he added.
With a killer on the loose, it’s unclear how many students will return to Moscow, Idaho, for the last two weeks of school before winter break.
Student Ava Forsyth said her roommate is staying home because she doesn’t feel safe. She also said she feels “moderately” safe, but “not as much” at night, when there is free security on campus.
University of Idaho President Scott Green acknowledged last week that some students did not want to return until the suspect was in custody.
“Therefore, faculty have been asked to prepare in-person teaching and distance learning options so that each student can choose their method of engagement for the last two weeks of the semester,” he wrote in a statement.
Rich said he decided to come back for the many tests he has this week. Student Lexi Way told Trends Wide that she feels safe with increased security on campus, and she “tends to learn better in person.”
The university scheduled a vigil for this Wednesday in commemoration of the victims.
Dozens of local, state and federal investigators are still working to determine who carried out the brutal attack. Investigators have yet to identify a suspect or find a weapon, believed to be a fixed-blade knife, and have examined more than 1,000 leads and conducted at least 150 interviews.
The four students: Ethan Chapin, 20; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Madison Mogen, 21, were found stabbed to death on November 13 in an off-campus house in Moscow. The homicides have unsettled the university community and the city of about 25,000, which had not recorded a homicide since 2015.
Police have said they believe the killings were “selective” and “isolated” but have released no evidence to support that analysis. They also initially said there was no threat to the public, but later backed down.
“We can’t say there isn’t a threat to the community,” Police Chief James Fry said days after the slayings.
Authorities said they have not ruled out the possibility that more than one person was involved in the stabbings.
Meanwhile, a former student told Trends Wide’s Paula Reid on Sunday that she has raised more than $19,000 to buy and distribute personal alarms to students as a way to increase security on campus.
“It’s been completely overwhelming in the best way possible,” said former student Kelly Uhlorn. “Something that started very, very small has just exploded and it’s amazing to see the community come together like that.”
Extensive evidence collected at the scene
Investigators have released a map showing the movements of four University of Idaho students the night they died. Credit: Moscow Police Department
So far, thanks to the evidence collected at the scene and the accumulation of clues and interviews, the investigators have been able to develop an approximate time line and a map of the last hours of the group.
The night of the homicides, Goncalves and Mogen were at a sports bar, and Chapin and Kernodle were seen at a frat party.
Investigators believe all four victims had returned to the home at 2 a.m. the day of the stabbings. Two surviving roommates had also been out that night, police said, returning to the house at 1 a.m.
Police previously said Goncalves and Mogen returned to the home at 1:45 a.m., but updated the timeline on Friday, saying digital evidence showed the couple returned at 1:56 a.m. after visiting a truckload. food and be taken home by a “private”.
The next morning, two fellow survivors “called friends at the residence because they believed one of the victims on the second floor had passed out and was not waking up,” police said in a statement. Someone called 911 from the house at 11:58 am using the phone of one of the surviving residents.
“The call reported an unconscious person,” Moscow police Capt. Roger Lanier said Wednesday. “During that call, the dispatcher spoke to multiple people who were on the scene.”
When the police arrived, they found two victims on the second floor and another two on the third. There were no signs of forced entry or damage, police said.
Investigators do not believe the two survivors were involved in the deaths.
The coroner determined that all four victims were stabbed multiple times and that they were likely asleep when the attacks began. Some of the students had defensive wounds, according to the Latah County coroner.
At least 113 physical pieces of evidence have been collected, some 4,000 crime scene photos have been taken and several 3D scans of the house have been taken, according to police. Detectives also collected the contents of three garbage cans from the street, in case they contained any evidence.
In an effort to locate the weapon, investigators contacted local businesses to determine if a fixed blade knife had been purchased.
Police deal with flood of rumors
More than 260 digital items, which could include photos and videos, have been submitted by the public to an FBI tip form, the Moscow Police Department said in a statement Friday. The department is asking for any leads or video of the places the victims attended that night, even if there is no discernible movement or content on them.
“Detectives are also looking for additional leads and surveillance video of any unusual behavior on the night of November 12 through the early hours of November 13 while Kaylee and Madison were in downtown Moscow and while Ethan and Xana were at the house. of Sigma Chi,” the statement said.
In addition, Idaho Gov. Brad Little has pledged to commit up to $1 million in state emergency funds to help with the ongoing investigation, state police said.
As weeks go by without a suspect being named or any significant progress being made in the case, a flurry of rumors has surfaced about the murders. Moscow police addressed the issue in a press release on Friday and tried to quell some of the rumours.
“There is speculation, without factual support, that is fueling community fears and spreading false facts. We encourage you to refer to official releases for accurate information and up-to-date developments,” the statement said.
According to the police department, several people have been ruled out as suspects so far, including:
- The two surviving housemates.
- Other people who were in the house when 911 was called.
- The person who took Goncalves and Mogen to his house.
- A man seen on surveillance video of a food truck visited by Goncalves and Mogen.
- A man whom Goncalves and Mogen called “numerous times” in the hours before his death.
Police also said reports that the victims were bound or gagged are inaccurate and stressed that the identity of the 911 caller has not been released.
— Trends Wide’s Tina Burnside, Michelle Watson, Theresa Waldrop, Paradise Afshar, Veronica Miracle and Jason Kravarik contributed to this report.
