Tag: University of Idaho

A Week After U. of Idaho Students Were Killed, a Lack of Information Sows Fear and Confusion

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It has been a week since the police found four University of Idaho students dead at a house just steps from the campus, but no arrests have been made and no suspects have been identified, fueling fear and uncertainty among students and faculty.

The coroner’s office in Moscow, Idaho, ruled the deaths as homicides through stabbing, likely with a large knife, but no weapon has been found as of Monday afternoon. Police identified the victims as Ethan Chapin, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21. The FBI has joined local law enforcement investigating the case.

Though investigators initially called it “an isolated, targeted attack” with “no imminent threat to the community,” they have since walked back that stance. During a press conference last week, James D. Fry Jr., Moscow’s chief of police, conceded, “We cannot say that there is no threat to the community.”

With an unknown killer still at large, so many students left early for Thanksgiving break that the university postponed a candlelight vigil originally scheduled for last week. Some are unsure whether it is safe to return.

The university, meanwhile, is caught in a situation over which it has little control. Because the crime took place off campus, the investigation is under the jurisdiction of the local police, whose public comments about the investigation have been “at best, chaotic and unclear,” said S. Daniel Carter, president of SAFE Campuses, a Georgia-based firm that offers consulting and training on campus safety.

“As long as you have an unidentified suspect at large, no law-enforcement agency can know for sure that there is no threat,” said Carter. “If a person is willing to kill four people, there is nothing to indicate that they aren’t willing to kill others.”

Carter, who has over 30 years of experience in campus safety, said that after the investigation itself, communication with the public should be law enforcement’s most important task. It took the Moscow police three days to hold a press conference, which Carter believes should’ve happened earlier.

He also said that new information should be released at the beginning of the press conference. Some of the information, including details about two of the victims’ surviving roommates and friends present at the scene, was only released in response to reporters’ questions.

“The way you keep confidence is by having a clear strategy, which has been lacking here,” Carter said. “Otherwise, people take law enforcement less seriously, students want to leave town, and they don’t trust that they might not be targeted.”

This lack of confidence has been expressed publicly by some of the victims’ families.

On Instagram, Aubrie Goncalves, Kaylee Goncalves’ sister, wrote last Wednesday, “To the students of the University of Idaho that are still staying around campus, leave. Your grades are severely less important than your lives.”

Jim Chapin, Ethan Chapin’s father, issued a statement last Thursday saying, “There is a lack of information from the University of Idaho and the local police, which only fuels false rumors and innuendo in the press and social media. The silence further compounds our family’s agony after our son’s murder.”

The University of Idaho declined a request for comment.

Aaron Snell, communications director for the Idaho state police and the designated public-information officer for this case, told The Chronicle that the Moscow police is a small agency with a little over 30 officers and that all officers are actively working on the investigation, including the chief of police.

Snell said that the agency wasn’t intentionally omitting information during the first couple of days. Rather, “the focus was directed at the investigation,” he said. “It was a lesson. We now have a PR team to respond more appropriately.”

The Moscow police has started to provide daily news updates on its website and Facebook page. The department is working on building community trust. “It’s going to take consistency in messaging and making sure the community knows that we care and that we want to be as transparent as possible.”

Carter, from SAFE Campuses, said that “the university can’t and shouldn’t interfere with the law-enforcement investigation. They can ensure through their own communications channels that accurate information is being communicated,” he said. “They have the opportunity to verify information to eliminate rumors from circulating.”

What they can do, according to Carter, is increase visible security on campus, offer safety escorts, and double-check that the procedures they have to secure their facilities, especially housing, are being upheld.

C. Scott Green, the university’s president, said in a press conference that the university has increased security patrols on campus and has benefitted from Idaho state police presence in the area. The institution ensures all residence halls are locked 24 hours a day and are only accessible to those who live in the buildings. All guests must be accompanied by a resident of the building, and each residence hall has a dedicated resident assistant staff and a live-in resident director, who perform safety and security rounds every evening. A safety escort is also available 24 hours a day to all students.

‘Up to the discretion of the instructor’

Classes were canceled the day after the crime, and university officials said in a news conference that they supported students who chose to leave campus early. They asked faculty to work with those students and said their absences would be excused.

“We were told to be flexible,” said Caitlin Cieslik-Miskimen, an assistant professor of journalism and mass media at the University of Idaho. “We ultimately had a say in how our courses were delivered based on what made us comfortable and what was best for our students.”

Last week, Cieslik-Miskimen had planned to hold individual meetings to speak with students about their final projects. She told students that they could reschedule the meetings or move them to Zoom. “And I wouldn’t penalize them if they didn’t show up,” she said.

For a public-relations and advertising course, Cieslik-Miskimen held an in-person class on Wednesday morning but offered remote attendance via Zoom and recorded the lecture. “I didn’t take attendance or really require anyone to be there. I had about five out of my 13 students in the class show up in person, and then three or four online.”

“All of my students have been rattled, to some extent. All of them are nervous,” Cieslik-Miskimen said. “It’s the uncertainty. It’s not knowing. And honestly, the gruesomeness of the crime that was committed. It has really unsettled everyone on campus.”

“From a faculty standpoint, as much as we would like answers and we would like this to be solved, knowing that the administration is providing us with some guidelines for how we should be conducting ourselves has been really helpful,” she said.

The administration encouraged faculty to have some sort of hybrid solution to accommodate students who do not feel comfortable going back to campus after Thanksgiving break.

“It’s hard when you’re supposed to be the people who provide guidance to students and you’re supposed to be sort of the ‘calm, cool, and collected’ one,” Cieslik-Miskimen said. “It’s hard to maintain that in a situation like this. And I think we’re all trying to do the best we can for our students.”

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Marcela Rodrigues-Sherley

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November 21, 2022
Memorial set Monday for one of 4 Idaho university victims

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MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — A memorial service was scheduled Monday for one of the four University of Idaho students stabbed to death in their home early Nov. 13, as police in the college town of Moscow have yet to identify a suspect in the slayings.

The memorial service for Ethan Chapin was scheduled for Monday afternoon in Mount Vernon, Washington, a city on Puget Sound north of Seattle.

Chapin, 20, was a triplet, and is survived by his parents and his siblings Maizie and Hunter. He attended Mount Vernon High School, where he played basketball. All three triplets enrolled in the University of Idaho last August.

“Since attending the University of Idaho, Ethan lived his best life,” according to his obituary. “He loved the social life, intramurals and tolerated the academics. He also continued to play sports.”

“If he wasn’t on the golf course or working, you could usually find him surfing, playing sand volleyball or pickle ball,” the obituary said.

On Sunday, law enforcement officers investigating the deaths asked for patience after a week passed with no arrests.

Authorities said they have no suspect or weapon in the killings, which shook Moscow, a town of 25,000 residents in the Idaho Panhandle that had not recorded a homicide in about five years.

Students and residents have expressed concern about a lack of details from police, who initially said there was no danger to the public but a few days later acknowledged they couldn’t say there was no threat.

“We know that people want answers — we want answers, too,” Idaho State Police Col. Kedrick Wills said. “Please be patient as we work through this investigation.”

Moscow Police Chief James Fry said authorities have received nearly 650 tips and conducted 90 interviews. Police have also requested businesses and residences in specific parts of the city to share with them footage recorded between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. on the day of the killings.

The university is in recess this week for Thanksgiving.

The victims were Chapin; seniors Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum, Idaho; and junior Xana Kernodle, 20, of Post Falls, Idaho. The women were roommates, and Chapin was dating Kernodle.

Authorities on Sunday said they were each stabbed multiple times, and that some had defensive wounds.

Police said two other roommates who were in the house on the night of the killings slept through the attack, waking later that day. Police said one of their phones was used to call 911 from inside the residence at 11:58 a.m. Police on Sunday declined to say who made the 911 call.

Police have said evidence leads them to believe the students were targeted, although they haven’t given details and declined to do so again on Sunday. Investigators say nothing appears to have been stolen from the victims or the home. Police have said there was no sign of forced entry, and first responders found a door open when they arrived.

Dozens of additional law enforcement officers have arrived in Moscow, officials said.

The Moscow Police Department said four detectives, five support staff and 24 patrol officers are working on the case. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has 22 investigators helping in Moscow, and 20 more agents assisting from outside the area. The Idaho State Police has supplied 20 investigators, 15 troopers for patrols and its mobile crime scene team.

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November 21, 2022
A timeline of the killings of four University of Idaho students | CNN

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CNN
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The killings of four University of Idaho students Sunday in their off-campus home has brought in the investigative powers of the local Moscow Police, state police and the FBI.

Days after the deaths, there is no suspect or murder weapon, and police have been tight-lipped on what they know.

Still, they have provided some information on the killings, and a preliminary timeline reveals some of their final hours as well as the investigative response.

Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle were students at the University of Idaho who lived at a nearby off-campus residence in Moscow, a college town of about 25,000 people.

They had two other roommates at the residence, a three-floor, six-bedroom apartment.

Goncalves posted a series of photos on her Instagram at some point with the caption “one lucky girl to be surrounded by these ppl everyday.” One of the photos shows Mogen sitting on Goncalves’ shoulders, with Chapin and Kernodle standing next to them.

That night, Chapin and Kernodle went to a party on campus, and Mogen and Goncalves went to a downtown bar, police said.

Mogen and Goncalves ordered at a late-night food truck at about 1:41 a.m., the food truck’s live Twitch stream shows.

They ordered $10 worth of carbonara from the Grub Truckers and wait for about 10 minutes for their food. As they waited, they could be seen chatting with each other and with other people standing by the truck.

Joseph Woodall, 26, who manages the truck, said the two students did not seem to be in distress or in danger in any way.

Video shows two University of Idaho victims at food truck on night of killings

Mogen, Goncalves, Chapin and Kernodle returned to the home at some point in the early morning hours.

At about noon Sunday, a call came in to 911 about an unconscious person at an off-campus residence. Police did not say who called 911.

Arriving officers found the door to the residence open and discovered the bodies of four fatally stabbed students.

“It was a pretty traumatic scene to find four dead college students in a residence,” Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt later told CNN affiliate KXLY.

There was no sign of forced entry or damage, police said.

Moscow Police issued a statement saying four people were found dead in a home off campus. University of Idaho President Scott Green announced that the four victims were students and canceled classes on Monday.

Moscow Police issued a statement identifying the four homicide victims as Chapin, Goncalves, Kernodle and Mogen.

Police said details were limited and no one was in custody. They added that Moscow Police “does not believe there is an ongoing community risk based on information gathered during the preliminary investigation.”

Moscow Mayor Art Bettge released a statement calling the deaths “senseless acts of violence.” Bettge said only limited information can be shared without “jeopardizing the integrity of the investigation.”

Green issued a statement offering condolences to the victims’ families and the community.

“Moscow police do not believe there is an ongoing community risk based on information gathered during the preliminary investigation, however, we ask our employees to be empathetic, flexible and to work with our students who desire to return home to spend time with their families,” he said.

Moscow Police issued a statement saying that an “edged weapon such as a knife” was used in the killings. Police said no suspects were in custody and they had not found the murder weapon.

“Also, based on information from the preliminary investigation, investigators believe this was an isolated, targeted attack and there is no imminent threat to the community at large,” police said.

Later in the day, police released another statement that attempted to calm fears of a killer on the loose.

“We hear you, and we understand your fears,” police said. “We determined early in the investigation that we do not believe there is an ongoing threat for community members. Evidence indicates that this was a targeted attack.”

Police Chief James Fry held a press conference – the department’s first in the case – and reiterated there was no suspect. He also backtracked on the assurances that no one is at risk.

“We cannot say there’s no threat to the community,” Fry said. “And as we have stated, please stay vigilant, report any suspicious activity and be aware of your surroundings at all times.”

The two other roommates were home at the time of the attack and were not injured, Fry said.

“There was other people home at that time, but we’re not just focusing just on them, we’re focusing on everybody that may be coming and going from that residence,” he said.

The university’s often-packed parking lots had many empty spots after scores of students decided to return home or leave the area.

“Everybody kind of just went back home because they’re scared. … It’s definitely uneasy on campus right now,” student Nathan Tinno told CNN.

Tinno, who said the community is trying to approach the tragedy with sympathy, added the fact that no perpetrator has been caught in the case has elevated the sense of fear on campus.

Hoping for tips from the community, investigators release a map and timeline of the victims’ movements last weekend.

The map shows the four students spent most of the night separated in pairs.

“Most definitely someone somewhere has a tidbit of information that will help break this case open and we believe the public around here will have that information for us,” Idaho State Police Communications Director Aaron Snell said.

The victims were found on the second and third floors of their home, Snell told CNN.

Mabbutt, the coroner, told CNN she saw “lots of blood on the wall” when she arrived at the scene. She confirmed there were multiple stab wounds on each body – likely from the same weapon – but would not disclose how many wounds nor where most were located.

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November 20, 2022
Coroner: Idaho students were stabbed to death in their beds

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SPOKANE, Wash. — Four University of Idaho students who were found dead in a rental house near campus were stabbed to death in their beds and likely were asleep when they were attacked, a county coroner told a cable news channel.

Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt also told NewsNation on Thursday that each victim suffered multiple stab wounds from a “pretty large knife.”

“It has to be somebody pretty angry in order to stab four people to death,” Mabbutt told NewsNation. The victims were stabbed in the chest and upper body, the coroner said.

Efforts by The Associated Press to reach Mabbutt by telephone Friday were diverted to an Idaho State Police spokesperson, who did not immediately return messages.

In an evening statement, Moscow Police Department confirmed the coroner reported the victims were likely asleep and that some of the victims had defensive wounds. Police additionally said there were no signs of sexual assault.

Comments from Mabbutt and the police expanded on autopsy reports released Thursday, which concluded the four students were murdered by being stabbed to death.

Officers have not identified a suspect or found a weapon.

The killings have shaken Moscow, an Idaho Panhandle town of 25,000 residents that last saw a homicide about five years ago. The leafy college town is about 80 miles (130 kilometers) south of Spokane, Washington.

All four victims were members of fraternities and sororities: seniors Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum, Idaho; junior Xana Kernodle, 20, of Post Falls, Idaho; and freshman Ethan Chapin, 20, of Mount Vernon, Washington. The women were roommates. The bodies were found around noon Sunday.

Moscow police released a map Friday and later its statement with a rough timeline of events leading up to the deaths. It asked the public to provide any tips or leads.

The map showed that Chapin and Kernodle were seen at the Sigma Chi fraternity house between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Saturday. Police said it’s believed the two returned to the home by 1:45 a.m. Sunday.

Meanwhile, Goncalves and Mogen went to the Corner Club, a popular bar in downtown Moscow, from 10 p.m. Saturday to 1:30 a.m. Sunday. Then they visited a food truck on Main Street before using a ride-hailing service to return to the house by 1:45 a.m.

Surveillance video from the food truck shows Goncalves and Mogen ordering at the window, taking photos on their phones and chatting with friends in a segment of about 10 minutes.

Police said Friday that detectives do not believe a male seen in the video was involved in the crime.

Police have said evidence at the scene leads them to believe the students were targeted, though they haven’t given details. Investigators say nothing appears to have been stolen from the victims or the home. Police also said online reports of the victims being tied and gagged are not accurate.

Detectives seized the contents of three dumpsters on the same road as the residence for possible evidence. Officers also have been contacting local businesses to determine if a fixed-blade knife was recently purchased, police said.

After initially saying there was no ongoing danger, police reversed themselves Wednesday. “We cannot say that there is no threat to the community,” Moscow Police Chief James Fry said. “We still believe it’s a targeted attack. But the reality is there still is a person out there who committed four very horrible, horrible crimes.”

Two people found unharmed in the sprawling house, described by police Friday as roommates, are not believed to be involved in the case, the statement said.

Fry declined to say whether the roommates were able to provide an account of the killings or to specify who called 911. There was no sign of forced entry and a door was found open by the first officers to arrive, the chief said.

Detectives are investigating nearly 500 tips and have done 38 interviews with people who may have information about the murders, police said. The Idaho State Police, the FBI and the Latah County Sheriff’s Office are assisting with the investigation.

———

AP reporter Lisa Baumann in Bellingham, Washington, contributed to this report.

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November 18, 2022
Coroner: Idaho Students Were Stabbed To Death In Their Beds

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SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Four University of Idaho students who were found dead in a rental house Sunday were stabbed to death in their beds and likely were asleep, a county coroner told a cable news channel.

Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt also told NewsNation on Thursday that each victim suffered multiple stab wounds from a “pretty large knife.”

“It has to be somebody pretty angry in order to stab four people to death,” Mabbutt told NewsNation. The victims were stabbed in the chest and upper body, the coroner said.

Efforts by The Associated Press to reach Mabbutt by telephone Friday were diverted to an Idaho State Police spokesperson, who did not immediately return messages.

Mabbutt’s comments expanded on the autopsy reports released Thursday, which concluded the four students were murdered by being stabbed to death.

The killings have shaken Moscow, an Idaho Panhandle town of 25,000 residents that last saw a homicide about five years ago. The leafy college town is about 80 miles (130 kilometers) south of Spokane, Washington.

Officers have not identified a suspect or found a weapon, Moscow Police Chief James Fry has said.

All four victims were members of fraternities and sororities: seniors Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum, Idaho; junior Xana Kernodle, 20, of Post Falls, Idaho; and freshman Ethan Chapin, 20, of Mount Vernon, Washington. The women were roommates. The bodies were found around noon Sunday.

The Moscow Police Department released a map Friday showing a rough timeline of events leading up to the deaths and asked the public to provide tips or leads.

The map showed that Ethan and Xana attended a party at the Sigma Chi fraternity house between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Saturday. The map said the two had returned to Xana’s rental house by 1:45 a.m. Sunday.

Meanwhile, Kaylee and Maddie went to the Corner Club, a popular bar in downtown Moscow, from 10 p.m. Saturday to 1:30 a.m. Sunday. Then they visited a food truck on Main Street and were back at the house by 1:45 a.m.

Surveillance video from the food truck shows Mogen and Goncalves ordering at the window, taking photos on their phones and chatting with friends in about a 10-minute segment.

The map did not say how police knew all four victims were home by 1:45 a.m.

Police have said evidence at the scene leads them to believe the students were targeted, though they haven’t given details. Investigators say nothing appears to have been stolen from the victims or the home.

After initially saying there was no ongoing danger, police reversed themselves Wednesday. “We cannot say that there is no threat to the community,” Fry said. “We still believe it’s a targeted attack. But the reality is there still is a person out there who committed four very horrible, horrible crimes.”

Two other people were found in the sprawling house, unharmed. Fry declined to say whether they were able to provide an account of the killings or to specify who called 911. There was no sign of forced entry, according to the chief, and a door was found open by the first police officers to arrive.

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November 18, 2022
‘We’re leaving as fast as we can’: University of Idaho reels with unease days after killing of 4 students and no suspect identified | CNN

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CNN
—

Five days after four University of Idaho students were found stabbed in their off-campus home, a deep sense of apprehension and grief shrouded the community as authorities released a map and timeline of the victims’ movements and worked to identify a suspect.

The university’s often-packed parking lots had many empty spots Thursday after scores of students decided to return home or leave the area after the quadruple homicide last weekend shocked the college town of Moscow, Idaho.

“Everybody kind of just went back home because they’re scared. … It’s definitely uneasy on campus right now,” student Nathan Tinno told CNN.

Tinno, who said the community is trying to approach the tragedy with sympathy, added the fact that no perpetuator has been caught in the case has elevated the sense of fear on campus.

Four college students – Ethan Chapin, 20; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Madison Mogen, 21 – were found stabbed to death Sunday in their shared off-campus home near the university.

The victims were found on the second and third floors of the home, Idaho State Police Communications Director Aaron Snell told CNN Friday.

Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt told CNN she saw “lots of blood on the wall” when she arrived at the scene. She confirmed there were multiple stab wounds on each body – likely from the same weapon – but would not disclose how many wounds nor where most were located.

Stab wounds on the hands of at least one victim appear to be defensive wounds, according to Mabbutt. She said there was no sign of sexual assault on the bodies during the autopsies.

Moscow Police Department

Hoping for tips from the community, investigators on Friday released a map and timeline of the victims’ movements last weekend. The map shows the four students spent most of the night separated in pairs.

Chapin and Kernodle attended a party at the young man’s Sigma Chi fraternity house from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. local time Saturday.

Goncalves and Mogen were at the Corner Club sports bar between 10 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. They picked up food at a food truck at 1:40 a.m. before heading home.

The four victims were back at the house by 1:45 a.m. Sunday.

Two other roommates were inside the home at the time of deaths – neither was injured nor held hostage, according to university president Scott Green.

Investigators are speaking with the two surviving roommates, Snell told ABC.

“Potentially they are witnesses, potentially they are victims,” Snell said in an interview with ABC’s Kayna Whitworth. “Potentially they’re the key to this whole thing.”

Police have said they don’t have a suspect. Snell said no one has been “included or excluded as a person of interest and/or a suspect.”

Investigators hope the roommates will help them “figure out what occurred and why.”

“That’s their story to tell,” he said.

The causes of death has been determined a homicide, according to a statement by Mabbutt. The autopsies are completed, and the findings will be released when available, an employee at the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office told CNN.

The killings, which happened little more than a week before Thanksgiving break, have instilled harrowing sentiments among students as authorities investigate leads to identify a suspect or locate a murder weapon.

“It’s so dark. It’s just like a dark cloud over everything,” Ava Driftmeyer said. “We’re leaving as fast as we can.”

Driftmeyer, who said she lives near where the four students were killed, described that it’s been a difficult situation to process, both mentally and emotionally.

“I just don’t even think it’s like set in yet. … You know how insane this is? And the fact that there’s no answers is like the worst feeling ever,” she said.

Police said Wednesday they could not definitively determine that the public was not a risk, backtracking an earlier statement that the attacks were targeted.

“We cannot say there’s no threat to the community,” Moscow Police Department Chief James Fry said Wednesday during a news conference. “And as we have stated, please stay vigilant, report any suspicious activity and be aware of your surroundings at all times.”

The university also reminded students that mental health support is available for them.

“We are all still working though our grief and a range of emotions. Compounding this is the frustration and concern that no one has been arrested for these crimes,” Green said in a statement.

“Students, you are encouraged to do what is right for you. Whether this is going home early or staying in class, you have our support,” Green added.

As many details remain unclear, one of the victim’s parents revealed his child’s struggle with the attacker.

The father of Xana Kernodle said he spoke with his daughter midnight Sunday, just hours before she was attacked and killed. Citing an autopsy, he said she fought off her attacker through the end.

“Bruises, torn by the knife. She’s a tough kid,” Jeffrey Kernodle told CNN affiliate KPHO/KTVK in Avondale, Arizona.

Kernodle said Xana stayed in regular communication with her family. “I think midnight was the last time we heard from her, and she was fine,” he told the station, adding that he doesn’t understand why his daughter and her roommates were killed in their own home.

“They were just hanging out at home. Xana was just hanging out at home with her boyfriend,” he said.

Just hours before the four students were killed, Goncalves had posted a photo of the group with the caption, “one lucky girl to be surrounded by these ppl everyday,” adding a heart emoji.

The scant information available regarding the case has been frustrating those closest to the victims as well as the campus community. Yet a video showing two of the victims has helped police get a clearer idea of the hours leading up to the homicides.

In a live Twitch stream from a food truck called Grub Truckers, Mogen and Goncalves were last seen alive while ordering $10 worth of carbonara around 1:40 a.m. local time Sunday in Moscow. As they waited for about 10 minutes for their food, they chatted with each other as well as other people standing by the truck.

Joseph Woodall, who manages the food truck, told CNN the two students did not seem to be in distress or in danger in any way.

Chapin and Kernodle were at a party on campus Saturday night, Fry said. All four students returned home early Sunday sometime after 1:45 a.m., Fry added.

Later Sunday morning, the four were killed inside their home, authorities said. Police responded to the residence after receiving a 911 call around noon reporting that someone was unconscious.

When police arrived at the home, they walked into a grisly, bloody crime scene.

“It was a pretty traumatic scene to find four dead college students in a residence,” coroner Mabbutt told CNN affiliate KXLY earlier this week.

All four were pronounced dead at noon, and police have not revealed who made the 911 call.

“They were smart, they were vigilant, they were careful and this all still happened,” Goncalves’ older sister, Alivea, said in a statement on behalf of the family to the Idaho Statesman.

“No one is in custody and that means no one is safe. Yes, we are all heartbroken. Yes, we are all grasping. But more strong than any of these feelings is anger. We are angry. You should be angry.”

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November 18, 2022
Idaho police say there were other people in the home at the time of quadruple homicide, but declined to say who called 911 | CNN
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CNN
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More questions than answers continue to plague the Moscow, Idaho, community after the fatal stabbing of four University of Idaho students – and police said they cannot assure the community is safe.

Moscow Police Chief James Fry gave an update Wednesday, saying two additional roommates were in the home at the time of the killings who were neither injured nor held hostage. Fry also said two of the victims – Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle – were at a party on campus, while the other two victims – Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves – were at a downtown bar prior to their deaths.

All four arrived back home sometime after 1:45 a.m. local time, Fry said. They were killed “sometime in the early morning hours of Sunday, November 13,” Fry said.

But there were no calls to 911 until noon Sunday. Fry did not say who called 911, despite two people being at the home when the killing took place and when officers responded. Fry also declined to say if the two people spoke with police.

“We’re not going to go any further into what they know and what they don’t know,” he said.

He did say the call came in for an unconscious person, not a person with a stab wound.

There was also no evidence of forced entry, the chief said. Fry did admit all four victims were killed with a knife, though no weapon has been located at this time.

As of Wednesday evening, there is neither identity nor location of a suspect, Fry said.

“We cannot say there’s no threat to the community and as we have stated, please stay vigilant, report any suspicious activity and be aware of your surroundings at all times,” Fry said.

Fry’s comments come just one day after the Moscow Police Department said in a news release there was no threat to the public and evidence led investigators to believe this was a “targeted attack.”

The killings and lack of information have rankled Moscow, a 25,000-strong city nestled on the Idaho-Washington border. The college town has not recorded a murder since 2015, according to state police data. Residents there are anxious and are “getting out of Dodge,” Latah County Sheriff’s Deputy Scott Mikolajczyk told the Idaho Statesman.

The father of one of the victims issued a statement Wednesday calling on police to release further information about the killings.

“There is a lack of information from the University of Idaho and the local police, which only fuels false rumors and innuendo in the press and social media,” Jim Chapin, the father of Ethan Chapin, said in the statement. “The silence further compounds our family’s agony after our son’s murder. For Ethan and his three dear friends slain in Moscow, Idaho, and all of our families, I urge officials to speak the truth, share what they know, find the assailant, and protect the greater community.”

University of Idaho President Scott Green offered condolences in a statement Monday and deferred to the police’s belief that there was no threat to the public.

“Moscow police do not believe there is an ongoing community risk based on information gathered during the preliminary investigation, however, we ask our employees to be empathetic, flexible and to work with our students who desire to return home to spend time with their families,” he said. “We do not know the investigation timeline, but we will continue to communicate to campus as we learn more.”

Green said Wednesday the university is encouraging students and employees to take care of themselves as they head into Thanksgiving break.

Blaine Eckles, university dean of students, did say there would be a candlelight vigil on November 30. Details are still being finalized, he said.

CNN has reached out to the university for comment and information on the case.

What little the public does know is grisly. Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt told CNN affiliate KXLY what she saw at the gruesome crime scene.

“There’s quite a bit of blood in the apartment and, you know, it was a pretty traumatic scene to find four dead college students in a residence,” she said.

Mabbutt said the coming autopsies could provide further information about what happened.

“There could be some, you know, some evidence of the suspect that we get during the autopsies which would be helpful,” Mabbutt said.

The University of Idaho identified the victims as:
Ethan Chapin, 20, of Conway, Washington, a freshman majoring in recreation, sport and tourism management and a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.

Xana Kernodle, 20, of Avondale, Arizona, a junior majoring in marketing and a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority.

Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, a senior majoring in marketing and a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority.

Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum, Idaho, a senior majoring in general studies and a member of the Alpha Phi sorority.
Just hours before their deaths, Goncalves posted a photo of the foursome with the caption, “one lucky girl to be surrounded by these ppl everyday,” adding a heart emoji.

Chapin was one of three triplets, all of whom are enrolled at the University of Idaho, the family said in a statement.

“Ethan lit up every room he walked into and was a kind, loyal, loving son, brother, cousin, and friend,” his mother Stacy Chapin said. “Words cannot express the heartache and devastation our family is experiencing. It breaks my heart to know we will never be able to hug or laugh with Ethan again, but it’s also excruciating to think about the horrific way he was taken from us.”

Alivea Goncalves, Kaylee’s sister, sent a statement to the Idaho Statesman on behalf of her family and Mogen’s.

“They were smart, they were vigilant, they were careful and this all still happened,” she said. “No one is in custody and that means no one is safe. Yes, we are all heartbroken. Yes, we are all grasping. But more strong than any of these feelings is anger. We are angry. You should be angry.”

Jazzmin Kernodle, Xana’s older sister, described her as “positive, funny and loved by everyone who met her.”

“Xana was one of the best people I have ever known. I am lucky to have had her as a sister. She was loved by so many and had the best friends surrounding her. You rarely get to meet someone like Xana,” she said.

“She was so lighthearted, and always lifted up a room. She made me such a proud big sister, and I wish I could have had more time with her. She had so much life left to live. My family and I are at a loss of words, confused, and anxiously waiting for updates on the investigation.”

She also offered condolences to the other victims and their families. “My sister was so lucky to have them in her life.”

Due to the killings, the city canceled its long-standing Artwalk festival “in respect for the victims of this week’s tragedy on the University of Idaho campus as well as those in the Vandal and Moscow community who are united in mourning.”
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November 16, 2022
Police: Knife used in targeted attack of dead Idaho students

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BOISE, Idaho — Four University of Idaho students found dead in an off-campus home were targeted, and the killer or killers used a knife or other “edged weapon” in the attack, police said Tuesday.

The Moscow Police Department made the announcement in a news release, adding that investigators were working to establish a timeline to recreate the victims’ activities before they were found dead Sunday. Police said the killings likely occurred in the early morning hours, and the bodies were found around noon.

The students’ deaths were considered to be “an isolated, targeted attack and there is no imminent threat to the community at large,” according to police, who earlier said evidence from the scene led them to believe there was no broader risk. Police provided no information about that evidence or why they believe the victims were targeted.

Autopsies expected to be completed later this week could provide more information about how the victims were killed.

Investigators were “following all leads and identifying persons of interest” in the case, the news release said. Monday night, however, police Captain Anthony Dahlinger told the Idaho Statesman that officers were searching for a suspect.

Police discovered the students’ bodies Sunday as they responded to a report of an unconscious person at a home steps away from the campus. The victims were identified as Ethan Chapin, a 20-year-old from Conway, Washington; Madison Mogen, a 21-year-old from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Xana Kernodle, 20, from Avondale, Arizona; and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, from Rathdrum, Idaho.

The university canceled classes on Monday, and said additional security staffers were available to walk students across campus if needed during the remainder of the week.

Still, the initial lack of information about the cause of the deaths — and the fact that police have said there is no one in custody — prompted many students to leave campus early, days before the Thanksgiving break was scheduled to begin.

A vigil for the slain students originally scheduled for Wednesday evening has been postponed until after Thanksgiving break, University of Idaho spokesman Kyle Pfannenstiel said in an email Tuesday.

In an earlier memo, University of Idaho President Scott Green urged university employees to be empathetic and flexible, and work with students who decided to leave classes to spend time with their families.

“Words cannot adequately describe the light these students brought to this world or ease the depth of suffering we feel at their passing under these tragic circumstances,” Green wrote of the slain students.

Police said anyone with information should contact the department and asked that people respect the privacy of the victims’ family and friends.

Brian Nickerson, the fire chief of the Moscow Volunteer Fire and EMS Department, said police were the first to arrive at the home. The first responders from the fire and EMS department didn’t go inside or transport anyone from the scene, Nickerson said.

The city of Moscow is a close-knit college town nestled in the rolling hills of north-central Idaho, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) southeast of Spokane, Washington.

The university said Chapin was a freshman and a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, and Kernodle was a junior majoring in marketing and a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority. Mogen was a senior also majoring in marketing and a member of Pi Beta Phi, and Goncalves was a senior majoring in general studies and a member of the Alpha Phi sorority, the university said. The university also had different home town listed for Chapin and Kernodle than the towns listed in the Moscow Police Department release: The school said Chapin was from Mount Vernon, Washington, and Kernodle was from Post Falls, Idaho.

Shortly after Moscow police announced the homicide investigation, students at the University of Virginia were also told to shelter in place after police said a suspect gunned down fellow students on a bus as they returned from a school field trip. The shooting left three members of the school’s football team dead and two other students injured. The shooting touched off an intense manhunt Sunday, and authorities announced Monday that a suspect, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., had been apprehended.

———

AP researcher Jennifer Farrar in New York and AP reporter John Antczak in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

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November 15, 2022
Officials: 4 slain University of Idaho students are victims

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BOISE, Idaho — Officials say all four University of Idaho students who were found dead inside a home near campus on Sunday are considered victims in the case, but police have yet to release the cause of death or other details about the investigation.

Police discovered the students’ bodies just before noon as they responded to a report of an unconscious person at a home steps away from the Moscow, Idaho campus. The victims were identified as Ethan Chapin, a 20-year-old from Conway, Washington; Madison Mogen, a 21-year-old from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Xana Kernodle, 20, from Avondale, Arizona; and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, from Rathdrum, Idaho.

The Moscow Police Department has labeled the deaths as “homicides” but maintains there is not an active risk to the community.

University of Idaho president Scott Green said the students were all “killed” under tragic circumstances, and Moscow Mayor Art Bettge said all four of the students were considered victims in the investigation. Moscow Police Capt. Anthony Dahlinger told the Idaho Statesman Monday night that none of the deceased students are believed to be responsible for the deaths.

The students likely died between 3 and 4 a.m., but they weren’t discovered for hours, Bettge said.

“The police got there at noon, nothing happened in the interim and nothing happened afterward, so it seemed to be a unique occurrence that was not apt to be repeated,” said Bettge. That timeline helped authorities determine that there was not an active risk, he said.

Dahlinger declined to confirm or deny Bettge’s description of the timeline.

The university canceled classes on Monday, and said additional security staffers were available to walk students across campus if needed during the remainder of the week.

Still, the lack of information about the cause of deaths — and the fact that police have said there is no one in custody — had many parents worried about campus safety and some students leaving for Thanksgiving break early.

In a memo released Monday afternoon, University of Idaho President Scott Green urged university employees to be empathetic and flexible and work with students who decided to leave classes to spend time with their families.

“Words cannot adequately describe the light these students brought to this world or ease the depth of suffering we feel at their passing under these tragic circumstances,” Green wrote of the slain students.

The police said anyone with information should contact the department and asked that people respect the privacy of the victims’ family and friends.

Brian Nickerson, the fire chief of the Moscow Volunteer Fire and EMS Department, said police were the first to arrive at the home. The first responders from the fire and EMS department didn’t go inside or transport anyone from the scene, Nickerson said.

The city of Moscow is a close-knit college town nestled in the rolling hills of north-central Idaho, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) southeast of Spokane, Washington.

The University said Chapin was a freshman and a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, and Kernodle was a junior majoring in marketing and a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority. Mogen was a senior also majoring in marketing and a member of Pi Beta Phi, and Goncalves was a senior majoring in general studies and a member of the Alpha Phi sorority, the university said. The university also had different home town listed for Chapin and Kernodle than the towns listed in the Moscow Police Department release: The school said Chapin was from Mount Vernon, Washington, and Kernodle was from Post Falls, Idaho.

A vigil for the slain students was set for 5 p.m. Wednesday on the University’s Administration lawn, University of Idaho spokesman Kyle Pfannenstiel said.

Shortly after Moscow police announced the homicide investigation, students at the University of Virginia were also told to shelter in place after police said a suspect gunned down fellow students on a bus as they returned from a school field trip. The shooting left three members of the school’s football team dead and two other students injured. The shooting touched off an intense manhunt Sunday, and authorities announced Monday that a suspect, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., had been apprehended.

———

AP Researcher Jennifer Farrar in New York contributed.

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November 14, 2022
Police: 4 found dead in home near University of Idaho

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MOSCOW, Idaho — Police are investigating the deaths of four people found Sunday in a home near the University of Idaho campus.

Officers with the Moscow Police Department responded to a report of an unconscious person just before noon when they entered the home about a block from campus, according to a press release from the city.

Authorities did not release any additional details, including the cause of death or whether any of the four were students. Police said more information would be shared once family members were notified of the deaths.

The discovery prompted the University of Idaho to warn students to shelter in place for about an hour until investigators determined there was no active threat to others in the region.

The city of Moscow is a close-knit college town nestled in the rolling hills of north-central Idaho, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) southeast of Spokane, Washington.

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November 13, 2022