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The mysterious crime of Moscow, Idaho: a thousand leads and no clues

Two weeks later, police are left with no reliable leads in the murders of four University of Idaho students.

Moscow, Idaho

(Wikimedia)

Published by
Rosana Rábago Sainz

Topics:

It's been two weeks since four young people from the University of Idaho were murdered and authorities still have no reliable leads to follow. The crime occurred last November 13. That night, off campus in Moscow, Idaho, the lifeless bodies of Ethan Chapin, 20; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Madison Mogen, 21, were found. They had been stabbed to death.

It is the first time in seven years that there has been a murder in Moscow, a community of 25,000 people. What worries everyone is that, despite the FBI asking for help and looking into around 1,000 leads, they still have no clear clues. They don’t even have the murder weapon. At the last press conference, police said they believe the murder weapon could be a military-style fixed blade knife. They believe the crime could be a "targeted" and "isolated" attack.

The Moscow community is actively collaborating in the investigation. According to the latest report shared by the authorities, they received a total of 488 audiovisual media submissions to the FBI-enabled tip page.

Comunicado de prensa de la Policía de Moscow, Idaho by VozMedia on Scribd

Chronology of the crime

The night of the crime Kaylee and Madison were seen at a sports bar, while Ethan and Xana were at a fraternity party. According to the timeline created by the police, they all returned to the house where the women lived around 2 a.m., and the murders occurred between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. However, the crime was not reported until several hours later.

Source: Moscow Police Department.

One of their roommates reported the murder. He called the Moscow Police Department around noon and said there was an "unconscious person" in the home located on King Road. He was accompanied by another person when authorities arrived at the home. Both were ruled out as guilty of the murder, as were all the people who gathered at the crime scene when the police arrived.

Detrimental rumors to the investigation

The leads, although an aid to the authorities, also present a problem for the community, as the rumors are an added difficulty for those in charge of the investigation. They warned citizens and the media of the need to verify any information before releasing it:

There is speculation, without factual backing, stoking community fears and spreading false facts. We encourage referencing official releases for accurate information and updated progress.

One of the clues received, for example, assures that one of the victims, Kaylee Goncalves, might have had a stalker, which would make her the main target of the crime. Nevertheless, investigators "extensively examined" this lead and "searched for hundreds of pieces of information" related to this clue. At this time, they have been unable to confirm the information or identify the possible stalker.

This is not the only false lead they received. This forces the police to have to update the investigation document daily with each new discovery. Among the data provided is a list of people who have been exonerated of the crime, who at the moment, are:

  • The two surviving roommates.
  • Other people who were in the house when they called 911.
  • The person who drove Goncalves and Mogen home.
  • A man seen in a surveillance video of a food truck visited by Goncalves and Mogen.
  • A man that Goncalves and Mogen called "numerous times" in the hours before their death.

In addition, authorities noted that there is no clear evidence that the victims were tied up or gagged and say that the identity of one of the 911 callers who reported the murders is still unknown.

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