On Sunday, November 13, college students Ethan Chapin (20), Madison Mogen (21), Xana Kernodle (20) and Kaylee Goncalves (21) went to bed in their apartment in the small town of Moscow in Idaho, USA.
During the night they were brutally killed.
The city of just over 26,000 hadn’t had a homicide since 2015. Now suddenly they’ve had four at once.
Ten days later, the American police are completely out of answers about the murder mystery. They don’t know why the four young men were killed and have no suspects.
– This is a very large investigation and a terrible crime, says Aaron Snell, communications chief of the Idaho State Police, in a statement. Cnn.
MOURNING: The local community is in mourning after the death and has laid flowers outside the university. Photo: AP/NTB
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Stalker advice
When police arrived at the scene, they found all four dead. Two on the second floor and two on the fourth floor. According to the coroner, it is likely that the deceased were asleep when they were attacked. However, some of them had marks that could indicate they tried to defend themselves and all were stabbed multiple times.
The murder weapon, which police suggest is a large fixed-blade knife, has not been found.
Police say they have investigated more than 1,000 tips, conducted more than 150 questionings and collected a large amount of evidence. So far no one has approached them with a suspect.
One of the suggestions police have been investigating is that Goncalves allegedly had a stalker.
In a statement on Facebook, the police write that they have carried out a thorough investigation into this tip, but have not been able to identify or confirm a potential stalker. However, it is a lead that they continue to follow.
Cryptic answer
From the outset of the investigation, the police considered it likely that this was a targeted attack.
But exactly why they think so or who the target was, so far they have not wanted to say anything.
– At this point, you’ll just have to trust us, because we won’t say why we think so. It’s about the integrity of the investigation, Police Captain Roger Lanier said.
SHOWING SUPPORT: Many placed flowers and lit candles in memory of the deceased. Photo: AP/NTB
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Two survived
There were also two other roommates in the apartment when the murders allegedly occurred, but they weren’t attacked, and it was one of them who called the police just before 12:00 on Sunday. In other words, they must have slept through the murders. How they did it, Police Chief James Fry didn’t have a good answer:
– I don’t know how they did it. That’s why we too continue to investigate, he said according to the Independent.
However, police said they do not believe any of the people who were in the room when police were informed were involved in the killings, CNN reports.
Killed: friends were in the house
Fear in the local community
The questions are many and the answers few, and the few details and confusing police statements have created fear in the local community.
Police came out early and said there was no immediate threat to the residents. After four days of investigation, the police had to go back on that statement.
– We cannot say that there is no threat to society, Fry said.
At Wednesday’s press conference, Snell explained:
– We recognize that it is always wise for people to lock their doors, walk in pairs and be mindful of what they are doing. There are one or more people out there somewhere who are killers, Snell said.
All of the deceased were University of Idaho students. CNN reports that it has spoken to other students who have left the city and will be studying from home. The reason must be that they feel the police statements have not been reassuring.
