Police admit potential threat remains in Moscow, give new details on U of I deaths
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University of Idaho homicides
Four U of I students were found dead in a house off campus on Nov. 13. Follow our coverage here.
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More than three days after four University of Idaho students were killed by an attacker with a knife, law enforcement and the University of Idaho addressed the public in person for the first time.
Moscow police backtracked on their repeated claims that the community was safe during a Wednesday afternoon press conference.
“We cannot say that there is no threat to the community,” Police Chief James Fry said.
The four victims in the early morning Sunday slayings were U of I seniors Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum; junior Xana Kernodle, 20, of Post Falls; and freshman Ethan Chapin, 20, of Mount Vernon, Washington.
Fry repeated that evidence and analysis at the scene indicated that it was “an isolated, targeted” attack, but also urged people to “stay vigilant” and “be aware of your surroundings at all times.”
“We do not have a suspect at this time, and that individual is still out there,” Fry said.
Police gave a handful of new details.
The night before, Chapin and Kernodle were at a party on campus while Mogen and Goncalves were at a bar in downtown Moscow. All arrived home sometime after 1:45 a.m., according to Fry.
Fry said police had viewed a video from a Twitch live stream that showed Mogen and Goncalves buying food shortly after 1:30 a.m. at a downtown food truck called Grub Truckers. That video helped establish the timeline of events that police are creating, he said.
There was no sign of forced entry at the six-bedroom rental house where the victims were found, and there were other people staying at the home at the time of the attack and when police responded to a report of an unconscious person.
“There was other people home at that time, but we’re not focusing just on them,” Fry said. “We’re focusing on everybody that may be coming and going from their residence.”
Fry said the other two were uninjured, and he was careful to say they should not be called witnesses.
“We’re not 100% sure if the door was unlocked,” Fry said. “There was no damage to anything, and the door was still open when we got there.”
Police would not reveal who made the 911 call on Sunday that brought authorities to the scene. Fry said he did not know why the call didn’t come in until noon. He declined to say what the two others in the house told the police. He did confirm that police do not believe there was a hostage situation that night.
Fry confirmed that the four victims were stabbed with a knife. Scott Jutte, general manager of Moscow Building Supply, told the Idaho Statesman earlier on Wednesday that police have visited his store more than once to ask whether the retailer sold Ka-Bar brand knives to anyone.
Autopsies on the bodies were happening Wednesday, according to Fry. Reports on those autopsies were expected Thursday.
The press conference also included comments from University of Idaho President C. Scott Green, who teared up while paying tribute to the victims, and Col. Kedrick Wills of the Idaho State Police, which is helping with the investigation.
“The loss of these young lives is just simply beyond comprehension. ... While our small community is certainly not immune to such things, it’s not a situation our close-knit campus is used to dealing with,” Green said.
“The weeks ahead will continue to challenge us as this loss in the circumstances around this crime become known.”
Fry was asked questions about previous comments on there being no public threat, on the pace of the investigation and about the fact there had been no media briefing prior to Wednesday, with little information released.
“The reality is there’s still someone out there who committed four horrible, horrible crimes. ... So there is a threat out there still, possibly,” he said, while acknowledging that he should have had a press conference before Wednesday.
“We have a lot of information coming in ... and the reality is I probably should have been standing here a day or so ago,” Fry said.
The FBI, Latah County Sheriff’s Office and the Idaho State Police are assisting the Moscow Police Department, which has at least 25 investigators working the case.
They are asking anyone with information about the victims whereabouts the night of their death or other relevant information to call the case’s tip line at 208-883-7180.
This story was originally published November 16, 2022 at 6:05 PM.
