Father of Idaho murder victim says ‘means of death’ do not match
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Police investigating the brutal murders of four University of Idaho students have released new details about the claim that victim Kaylee Goncalves may have had a stalker.
In mid-October, an incident involving two men unfolded at a local business where one of the men appeared to follow Goncalves inside the establishment and as she left to walk to her car, Moscow Police said on Monday.
Neither of the men appeared to make contact with the 21-year-old and it was believed to be an isolated incident – with no evidence they are connected to the murders.
Officials said the incident “may have been the stalker reference she made to friends and family” though they continue to ask for tips around the claims.
The new details came as Madison Mogen’s boyfriend spoke out for the first time, paying tribute to “the person that I loved most” at an emotional vigil.
It is now three weeks since Goncalves, Mogen, their housemate Xana Kernodle and Kernodle’s boyfriend Ethan Chapin were murdered in an off-campus home in the college town of Moscow, Idaho, on 13 November. No arrests have been made and no suspects have been identified.
Moscow Police continues to investigate Ethan Chapin and Xana’s Kerndle’s last movements
Kernodle and Chapin’s movements on the night of the murders are unclear.
Police said the young couple were at the Sigma Chi party from around 8 to 9pm.
It is unclear where they were between 9pm and 1.45am; the area would have been busy at that time, surrounded by other student accommodations, as other young people headed home, too.
“Any interactions, contacts, direction and method of travel, or anything abnormal could add context to what occurred,” Moscow Police said about the missing steps on Monday.
Aside from the calls made by Goncalves, what happened when the four returned home also remains a mystery.
It is not known if the killer had entered the house before the victims arrived home and hid before striking in their sleep or whether he entered the house after the students returned.
It’s also unclear when and how the suspect fled the home or if he has already left Moscow.
Father of Idaho victim says daughter may have been prime target
The grieving father of one of the four slain University of Idaho students said his daughter and her best friend may have been prime target as the perpetrators ‘chose to go upstairs’ where they were sleeping.
Steven Goncalves, father of 21-year-old Kaylee, said that the suspect went upstairs where his daughter and her best friend Mogen, 21, were sleeping on the same bed on the top floor, which was out of the way of the killer’s entry point.
Authorities said that the perpetrator entered the house through a sliding glass door or window on the second floor of the home, which meets a hill on the ground level in the backyard.
‘So I’m using logic that he chose to go up there when he didn’t have to’
No suspect or murder weapon thousands of tips later
Moscow police said on Saturday that they had received over 2,645 emails, 2,770 calls, 1,084 digital media submissions.
But officials pointed out that “at this time, no suspect has been identified”.
Now, 21 days into the investigation, the killer is still at large and detectives are wrapping up their work at the crime scene.
“We believe someone has information that will add context to the picture investigators are creating of what occurred that evening. Our focus is the investigation, not the activities,” the department said on Monday.
“Your information, whether you believe it is significant or not, might be one of the puzzle pieces that help solve these murders.”
Grieving father says losing child ‘hardest thing in the world'
The bereaved father of University of Idaho student Madison Mogen, who was fatally stabbed along with three other friends last month, called losing his only child the “hardest thing in the world”.
“It’s still hard to believe sometimes. We get up in the morning, and it’s like, ‘Nah this isn’t happening,’ then it kicks in,” Scott Laramie told Fox News.
“We love her and we miss her, and it’s the hardest thing in the world to try to figure out how to live without her,” said Mr Laramie.“It’s the hardest thing to imagine right now.”
Victim’s mother hits out at police investigation
Cara Denise Northington, mother of Xana Kernodle, broke her silence three weeks after the death of her daughter.
“There is so much more that can be done that has not been done,” she told NewsNation concerning the police investigation that has so far not turned up any suspects.
Speaking with anchor Ashleigh Banfield, Ms Northington said of her communication with the police: “They haven’t said anything. I learn more on the news and on TV than what they have said to me.”
The Independent has the story:
It has been three weeks since the four college students were found slain at their off-campus house
Victim’s boyfriend speaks publicly for first time since murder
The boyfriend of slain University of Idaho student Madison Mogen has spoken publicly about the death of his partner, weeks after four victims were fatally stabbed in an off-campus home in Moscow.
Jake Schriger, who knew all four students, spoke at a vigil held in Post Falls on Friday.“None of these people deserved this,” he said at the service.
Mr Schriger added: “She was the first person I talked to every morning and the last person I talked to before bed.”
“She was the person that I loved most.”
A timeline of the victims’ final hours
Despite more details becoming available in the two weeks since the murders took place, key pieces of what happened in the early morning hours of 13 November remain missing.
Police have revealed the victims’ last steps, yet the timeline becomes blurry as the second part of the night of the murders progresses.
On the night of 12 November, Goncalves and Mogen spent around three hours at Corner Club at the northern edge of Main Street.
The pair walked straight down Main Street to a red brick building that used to host the now-defunct Garden Lounge; a favourite food truck, Grub Wandering Kitchen - fondly called Grub Truck by its many local fans – often parks outside on Main Street.
Goncalves and Mogen ordered, laughed and chatted with friends as they got their pasta carbonara; according to police, they got a lift home from a “private party” and returned to King Road around 1.56am.
Kernodle and Chapin returned to King Road at around 1.45am. The young couple had gone to a party across the road at Sigma Chi.
The other two roommates at King Road – who have still not been named by authorities – had gotten home first, around 1am, and fallen asleep, according to police.
Mogen and Goncalves both made multiple calls to the same number around an hour after they got home.
Goncalves’ sister said the unanswered calls were placed to her ex-boyfriend, who’d dated her sister for years before they amicably split, still sharing a dog named Murphy. He has been ruled out as a suspect.
Authorities believe a killer or killers fatally stabbed Chapin, Kernodle, Goncalves and Mogen between 3am and 4am.
Their bodies weren’t found until nearly nine hours later, around noon on 13 November.
(AP/Datawrapper/City of Moscow Police Department)
Former Idaho lieutenant governor defends police
Former lieutenant governor Dave Leroy defended law enforcement after parents of the four University of Idaho students killed in Moscow criticised the police for “suppressing” information.
Mr Leroy praised the authorities for not committing the “cardinal sin” of making information public that could potentially compromise the investigation.
“They have not said something or done something that compromises the ongoing investigation. I think it’s important to pull together and understand how complicated this situation is.”
Three weeks after the fatal stabbings of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, the police are yet to identify a suspect.
Investigators are Seeking surveillance footage from “two areas of interest”
Businesses and homes within the geographical areas are being asked to share all outside surveillance video taken between 3am and 6am on 13 November – whether there appears to be motion and content or not.
The areas include: West Taylor Ave (north boundary), West Palouse River Dr (south boundary), Highway 95 south to the 2700 block of Highway 95 S (east boundary) and Arboretum & Botanical Garden (west boundary).
“Investigators have determined the two areas of interest within the city and have provided maps which are on our Facebook page and on our website,” Captain Lanier said on Sunday.
“And these are areas that they have canvassed for additional surveillance video and tips and have contacted several residents in the areas.”
Police have not revealed why they are honing in on those particular areas of the city.
The highway and arboretum are around the route that Kernodle and Chapin are likely to have taken to get from Sigma Chi to the off-campus home.
Victim’s father says he is not confident with police probe
Steve Goncalves, the father of slain University of Idaho student Kaylee Goncalves, said that he has lost confidence in the police investigation into the deaths of four students.
“I do not feel confident,” Mr Goncalves told Fox & Friends on Sunday when asked about the probe.
“And that’s why I push the envelope and say a little bit more. I hate to be that guy, but, you know …everybody has a job and a role to play and this is my role as the parent.”
