There were multiple people inside the house aside from the two friends who were injured when police responded to the scene where four University of Idaho students were murdered on November 13, Moscow Police Department Chief James Fry said on Sunday. Police also said that they still don’t have any promising leads and have not found a murder weapon.
Fry also said on Sunday that the killer didn’t make the 911 call, which prompted police to respond to the home where Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were found stabbed to death. This comes as police asked the public for help to solve the quadruple homicide case.
Multiple Doubts, No Leads
The Moscow Police said during a press conference on Sunday that police received a 911 call at 11.58 am but it was not made by the killer. The call, said Fry, was made from the phone “of one of the surviving roommates.” However, he didn’t share which person it was.
According to police, none of the people who were at the house when the 911 call was made are the killer. According to Fry, there were “other friends that had arrived at the location” when the 911 call was made, though it is unclear how many people were present at the time. He didn’t say when they arrived.
Police also said that more than 640 tips had been received and looked into. Police have so far interviewed 90 people in connection with the massacre. However, they did not specify if any of them have in fact caused the case to move forward.
Following the press conference, Moscow police said in a statement on Facebook that “the surviving roommates summoned friends to the residence” because they thought one of the victims had passed out and wasn’t waking up.
The two other residents of the off-campus house, Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke, were previously identified by investigators as being present at home on the night of the attack. Officials now claim that when police were called to the scene, there were in fact more people inside the house.
“There was other friends that had arrived at the location,” Fry said on Sunday, confirming speculation that others were in the home.
Police found the four victims inside the house. Two were on the second floor and two were on the third. “Some of the victims had defensive wounds and each victim was stabbed multiple times,” said Moscow Police Captain Roger Lanier.
Mystery Deepens
Police also put an end to multiple rumors and speculation revolving around the possible killer. Lanier said that Mortensen, Funke, and a man who was caught on camera at the food truck that Goncalves and Mogen visited before heading home have all been ruled out as suspects.
“Any online reports stating that the victims had been tied and gagged are not accurate,” Lanier said, after also confirming that there appeared to be no signs of sexual assault.
According to the police, Chapin and Kernodle returned home from the University of Idaho’s Sigma Chi house where they had been staying around 1:45 am on November 13. Police said Mogen and Goncalves were at a pub called The Corner Club in downtown Moscow, left the bar and stopped at a food truck, and then also headed home at approximately 1:45 am.
The two surviving roommates were out separately in Moscow in the late hours of November 12, according to the police, and both had returned home by 1 am in the morning on November 13, they added.
However, they are still clueless about the killer and are now seeking public help. “Anyone who has observed any notable behavior or has any video surveillance or can provide relevant information about these murders please call our tip line,” Fry said.
Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt had earlier verified that the bodies were discovered in beds but would not disclose whether the four victims were found in separate locations. According to Mabbutt, the victims’ upper bodies and chests were the targets of the stabbings.
Mabbutt did not elaborate on why she thought the killings were “personal” but added that she does not believe it was a murder-suicide, and that the toxicology results for each victim will be irrelevant.
