On November 13, 2022, four University of Idaho students were found stabbed to death at a house in Moscow, Idaho. However, police and authorities have not identified any suspect(s).

What exactly happened?

At around 11:58 on Sunday, Nov. 13, police responded to a report of an unconscious individual. Following this report, Moscow Police Department members found four students from the University of Idaho deceased on the second and third floors of the home. 

The dead roommates that lived in the home included Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, and Xana Kernodle. The fourth victim of the stabbing was Kernodle’s boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, however, he did not dwell in the home.

According to the police, Kernodle and Chapin were at a party at a Sigma Chi house on the University of Idaho campus on a Saturday night. At around 1:45 am, the couple returned home on Sunday, November 13. In downtown Moscow that night, Goncalves and Mogen were at a bar called The Corner Club. They stopped at a food truck after they left the club, then also returned home at 1:45 am.

Moscow Police in a Dec. 5 news release said, “Detectives continue investigating what occurred from approximately 9 p.m. on November 12th to 1:45 a.m. on November 13th, when Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle were believed to be at the Sigma Chi house on the University of Idaho Campus at 735 Nez Perce Drive. Any interactions, contacts, direction, and method of travel or anything abnormal could add context to what occurred.” 

According to police, the victims were most likely asleep, each was stabbed various times, and some had defensive wounds. There were only two surviving roommates that also lived in the home where the victims were murdered. Police said that they appeared to have slept through the stabbings. Police have also stated that neither roommate was injured and they do not believe the surviving roommates had anything to do with the killings. James Fry, the Moscow Police Chief, stated that the call was made using one of the surviving roommate’s cell phones. Police also said that the 911 dispatcher spoke to multiple individuals before the Moscow police arrived at the murder scene.

What information have authorities learned so far?

So far, authorities have collected “hundreds of pieces of information,” which included more than 113 pieces of physical evidence. Investigators at the crime scene took “approximately 4,000 photographs” and conducted various 3-D scans of the house. Police also said that investigators have conducted 150 interviews, as well. 

The Moscow police department in a statement said, “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. Your information, whether you believe it is significant or not, might be one of the puzzle pieces that help solve these murders,”

In a press release, police said they were looking for the occupant(s) of a 2011-2013 white Hyundai Elantra that was in the area where the students were murdered. Investigators have spent numerous hours prioritizing any information or tips on the vehicle because it may play a critical role in finding the identities of the killers.

Although detectives have already utilized copious surveillance videos and tips to rule out any potential suspects, investigators are also seeking any additional footage or tips of  “any unusual behavior” from the night of Nov. 12 and the early hours of Nov. 13.