‘Watch out for each other’: Cops probing murder of Idaho students warn of ‘threat to community’

The four University of Idaho students who were found dead in off-campus housing were identified on Monday as Madison Mogen, 21, top left, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, bottom left, Ethan Chapin, 20, center, and Xana Kernodle, 20, right. They are pictured just hours before they were murdered

Shaken police officials and university leaders in Moscow, Idaho on Wednesday told the community to ‘watch out for each other’, as they confirmed they are yet to identify a suspect or find a murder weapon three days after the stabbing of four students – and revealed two roommates were inside the house at the time of the killings.

The victims – three women and one man – were found on Sunday morning inside the student house the three women shared, with no visible signs of any break in.

The three women have been named as Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; and Xana Kernodle, 20.

The man, 20-year-old Ethan Chapin, was the boyfriend of Kernodle, one of the housemates. 

‘There is still someone out there who committed four horrible, horrible crimes,’ said James Fry, chief of Moscow police.

‘We all have to be aware of our surroundings, and make sure we’re watching out for each other.’

Fry said they believe it was a ‘targeted’ attack, but added: ‘We need to be aware.

‘The individual is still out there.’

He added: ‘We cannot say there is no threat to the community.’ 

Police received a call at noon on Sunday, and have concluded that the four were stabbed to death up to nine hours before, with the killing taking place between 3-4am that morning. 

Fry confirmed on Wednesday that two unnamed roommates were inside the house at the time police arrived.

He would not say whether the pair were the ones who called the police.

‘The report that we got was that there was an unconscious individual,’ said Fry, addressing a press conference on Wednesday evening.

‘It wasn’t until our officers got onto the scene, to do a wellness check, that we found the scene we found.’

James Fry, chief of Moscow police, is seen on Wednesday addressing a press conference

Fry confirmed that they still had not identified a suspect in Sunday’s killing, and confirmed there were two roommates in the house at the time of the murders 

C. Scott Green, president of the University of Idaho, addressed the press conference on Wednesday evening

Green struggled to contain his emotion on Wednesday night, describing the four as ‘bright lights in our community’

Veteran Moscow police have described the scene as among the most gruesome and harrowing they have ever seen, with the four young people left to bleed to death inside the house.

Twenty five people from the FBI, Idaho State Police and Moscow police department have been assigned to the case. 

‘It’s simply beyond comprehension,’ said C. Scott Green, president of the University of Idaho.

Fighting back tears, and pausing to compose himself, he added: ‘Our condolences to the families and friends of Ethan, Xana, Kaylee and Madison.

‘Their loss is devastating, and they were bright lights in our community.’

Fry said he believes all four murdered students were back at the house by 1:45am.

There was no sign of forced entry, he said.

‘We’re not 100pc sure if the door was unlocked, but there was no damage to anything and the door was still open when we got there,’ said Fry, adding that they did not believe any property was stolen.

Asked about the Mayor of Moscow’s description of the killing as a ‘crime of passion’, Fry said they were looking into it, and also investigating social media posts and any boyfriends or relationships the women had.

‘We’re looking at everyone,’ said Fry.

‘Every tip, every lead. There’s no one we’re not going to talk to.

‘We’re going to make sure nothing goes unturned.’

The murder scene home is on King Road in Moscow, a quiet cul de sac near the University of Idaho campus

Blood drips down the outside of the wall of the house the four students shared. Investigators describe it as the worst crime scene they have ever seen

Investigators collected the contents of trash cans close to the home as part of the search for the ‘edged weapon’ they believe was used in the killings. The trash was taken to a garbage depot where hazmat-suited cops sifted through garbage bags

The university officials were asked about a September 12 alert about a stabbing threat which was sent to all students, and said they do not believe it was related.

‘We had a group of students walking back to Greek Row,’ said Blaine Eccles, the deans of students.

‘They encountered an individual who was not affiliated with our university.

‘He flashed a knife.

‘That individual then turned himself in to law enforcement.’

Fry, asked if there was any connection, said: ‘Not that we know of, but we’re following every lead. We are looking into everything.’

Kernodle and Chapin had been at a party on campus, while Mogen and Goncalves were at a bar in the town. 

Fry asked anyone who had seen the four or been at the gatherings with them to get in touch. 

Earlier on Wednesday, chilling new footage emerged of Mogen and Goncalves ordering takeout from a food truck and chatting with other young people two hours before they were stabbed and left to bleed to death. 

The video was filmed by the food truck operators Grub Truckers, as part of a live stream from Saturday night. 

It may hold vital clues as to how Mogen and Goncalves spent their final hours, and who they were with. 

It shows the pair stumbling towards the truck, ordering a plate of carbonara pasta, and waiting 10 minutes between 1.33am and 1.43am on Sunday morning. 

The women appeared to walk towards the truck from the other side of the street and when they arrived, they were joined by a young, unidentified man.

He hung back as Goncalves ordered the food, then waited with the women until they received the order. 

At 1.53am, the women walk away in one direction, leaving the young man speaking with others at the truck. 

He looked in their direction, surprised that they’d walked off, but then is seen walking around the corner, in a different direction to them. 

The last known movements of at least two of the victims: The girls visited the truck at 1.43am-1.53am. It’s unclear if they went straight home, but police say they were murdered shortly afterwards sometime between 3am and 4am

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The video shows  Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves stumbling towards the desk, ordering a plate of carbonara pasta, and waiting 10 minutes. They interacted with other young kids who were also waiting for food and took photos of each other before walking away with their food

There were dozens of other youngsters waiting for food at the truck, which is parked outside a nightclub in downtown Moscow, Idaho, every Saturday between 10pm and 2.30am. One young man, who is shown standing behind Kaylee with his hood up, appeared to be with them, but he did not leave with them 

While Kaylee ordered, Madison spotted a friend and walked over to hug him warmly (right). She then returned to wait with Kaylee 

The girls walk away from the food truck at around 1.53am, less than two hours before police say they were murdered at home

When Goncalves placed the order at 1.43am, the server – Joseph Woodall – welcomed her by saying: ‘Welcome back!’ 

Speaking to DailyMail.com on Wednesday, he revealed that he mistook them for two other young women who’d been there earlier in the night. 

He said the community is now scared and dubious about why police believe there is no reason to panic. 

‘What everybody is talking about now is not knowing why police are saying we don’t have to panic. Nobody is panicking but no one is walking around at night either,’ he said. 

Woodall, the manager at the truck, said the pair were ‘slightly intoxicated’ but didn’t stand out among the dozens of others he served. 

‘There was nothing out of the ordinary, they were definitely having a good time but I don’t remember anybody standing out. 

‘There was no one giving off bad vibes or standing around,’ he said. 

He only realized that he’d served the pair on Wednesday when his boss told him that the two might have been at the truck, he said. 

John Fletcher, the owner of the business, told DailyMail.com that no one from law enforcement has yet been in touch to request the footage or witness statements from staff. 

In the video, Goncalves appears to slur her words as she orders a single portion of $10 carbonara.  

‘Hi! Can I please have the…. carbonara,’ she says, before offering to pay with points.  

Joe replied: ‘Looks like you don’t have enough.’ 

‘That’s OK,’ said Goncalves, before paying $10 for the food. 

While she ordered, Mogen, greeted a young man who was standing nearby, then returned to her. 

The pair then waited at the truck for around ten minutes, talking with the other youngsters who were also waiting for food and taking photos of each other, before walking away. 

It’s unclear if they went straight home to their shared apartment on King Road – less than 1.5 miles away – or if they made one more stop that night. 

Fry, the police chief, said they believe all four were home by 1:45am. 

All four kids were murdered in their shared house, stabbed to death then left to bleed. 

Despite the seriousness of the crime and even though no one has been arrested yet, police are reassuring the community that there is nothing to fear. 

They believe it was a targeted attack, and that they are not likely to harm anyone else. 

Police sources told DailyMail.com that the scene inside the home is ‘the worst they’ve ever seen’.

‘There was blood everywhere,’ said one source close to the investigation.

‘We have investigators who have been on the job for 20, even 30, years, and they say they have never seen anything like this.’ 

One of the victims – understood to be 20-year-old Chapin, of Conway, Washington – was discovered on the floor on the second level of the three-story home.

The girls arrived at the food truck with this young man, shown in a brown jacket and hoodie. They seem to have walked over from the other side of Main Street 

The unidentified young man turned his backwards cap around and placed his hood up while he waited with the girls for their food. He didn’t speak to them but was waiting for them 

The young man is then shown speaking with others who were waiting at the truck 

The girls walked away without the young man, leaving him standing speaking to others. He then walked off himself in a different direction 

On Tuesday, police were seen collecting the contents of trash cans close to the slightly run-down fray-paneled home as part of the search for the ‘edged weapon’ they believe was used in the killings.

The trash was taken to a local garbage depot where hazmat-suited officers were seen sifting through garbage bags in a screened-off shed.

The new developments come after a day where local authorities issued statements – with the local mayor describing it as ‘a crime of passion’ and police insisting it was a ‘targeted’ crime.

Officials in Moscow, a town of some 24,000 people right on the Washington State border – also were at pains to reassure locals that no one else is at risk, while saying in a statement released Tuesday that all four deaths are homicides.

The statement said: ‘On November 13, 2022, at 11:58 hours, Moscow Police Department Officers responded to a call on King Road for an unconscious individual.

‘Upon arrival, officers discovered four individuals who were deceased. The deaths have been ruled to be homicide.’

Police Capt. Anthony Dahlinger told the Idaho Statesman: ‘All I can say is the deaths are ruled a homicide at this point – and homicide and murder are synonymous.’

Although no weapons have been located, based on preliminary information, investigators believe that an edged weapon such as a knife was used.

‘Autopsies are scheduled to be completed later this week and will hopefully provide more definitive information on the exact cause of the deaths,’ the statement said.

‘Also, based on information from the preliminary investigation, investigators believe this was an isolated, targeted attack and there is no imminent threat to the community at large.

‘Investigators are continuing to work diligently on establishing a timeline of relevant events to re-create the victims’ activities on the evening of November 12 and early morning of November 13, following all leads and identifying persons of interest.’