The four students of the University of Idaho who were found dead in an off-campus home on Sunday were slain with a knife in what police are now investigating as “targeted” killings, officials said.
The Moscow Police Department said Tuesday that all four deaths were ruled homicides, meaning detectives believe none of the victims are responsible for the murders.
“We definitely have a crime here, so we’re looking for a suspect,” said Moscow police captain Anthony Dahlinger. told the Idaho statesman.
In a press release providing an update on the investigation, police said that although no weapon was recovered, “based on preliminary information, investigators believe that a sharp weapon such as a knife was used”.
Investigators were trying to put together a schedule to recreate the victims’ activities Saturday evening and early Sunday morning, “following all leads and identifying persons of interest,” cops said.
Police identified the victims Monday as Ethan Chapin, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21.
The college students were found dead in an off-campus house just before noon on Sunday, but Moscow Mayor Art Bettge said the crime was committed between 3 and 4 a.m. that morning.
Ethan Chapin’s mother, Sarah Chapin, told the outlet that a friend discovered the bodies inside the house on King Road and called 911.
Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt said autopsies would be performed on Wednesday, but ruled out it was a murder-suicide.
In an interview with The New York Times, Bettge described the murders as a “crime of passion”, but he later told the Statesman that it was just a possible scenario and that “the police don’t know again”.
The mayor also said law enforcement officials told him there were no active threats to the community based on the crime scene.
“I would say it was just a crime focused on that one location,” Bettge said.
The police department’s update on Tuesday echoed the mayor’s words, saying “investigators believe this is an isolated, targeted attack and there is no imminent threat to the community as a whole”.
According to social media posts, Chapin and Kernodle appeared to be in a relationship.
Goncalves’ sister Alivea described her brother to KREM2 station as “tough and fair” and “the ultimate go-getterwho was thirsty for adventure.
Chapin, a freshman from Mount Vernon, Wash., was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity majoring in recreation, sports and tourism management, according to information released by the university.
Here’s the latest coverage on the brutal murders of four college friends:
Kernodle was a junior from Post Falls, Idaho, majoring in marketing. She was a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority.
Mogen, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, was a senior who also majored in marketing. Like Kernodle, she was a member of Pi Beta Phi.
Gonclaves, of Rathdrum, Idaho, was a senior majoring in general studies. She was a member of Alpha Phi sorority.
Mogen and Goncalves worked together as servers at Mad Greek, a family restaurant located about a mile from the crime scene, the restaurant owner wrote on Facebook.
“We will miss you very much,” the post read in part. “Thank you for being part of our family/team and for helping me so much over the years.”
University of Idaho President Scott Green said the students were all “killed” in tragic circumstances.
“Words cannot adequately describe the light these students brought to this world or lessen the depth of pain we feel at their passing under these tragic circumstances,” Green wrote of the slain students.
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