Hundreds of people from the University of Idaho gathered at the local stadium Wednesday night to commemorate Kaylee Goncalvez, Madison Morgen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, four students who were stabbed to death in their sleep on Nov. 13. Two weeks later, the case has become the biggest headache for authorities in the United States. There are no detainees or suspects in this multiple murder. Investigators ask for patience. They have collected hundreds of pieces of evidence, but in the small and quiet city of Moscow, where the crimes were committed, there is no certainty.
Those attending the Boise vigil mourned the victims, local youth between the ages of 20 and 21 who had known each other for years. Nur Chapin, a triplet and Xana’s friend, had come with his brothers from neighboring Washington State to study tourism. Small gatherings were called across the state to commemorate those who died. The schools turned on the lights of their soccer fields in tribute. Affected families asked Idahoans to keep their porch lights on. “The only cure for pain is love, the only thing that will heal us,” Steve Goncalves, Kaylee’s father, said during the ceremony.
Kaylee and Madison were inseparable friends for years. “They went to high school together, looked for college together, and that’s how they came here. They were roommates. And they ended up dying together, in the same room, in the same bed,” Steve said tearfully about the tragic fate of his 21-year-old daughter.
The four victims shared a rented house near the campus in Moscow, a quiet university and farming community full of wheat and bean fields. With 26,000 inhabitants (including 10,000 students), the first department store was inaugurated in 2021. The tragedy has shattered the peace of this city, which has not recorded a murder in seven years.
Local police are guarding the house where the four bodies were found on November 14. Ted S Warren (AP)
Days after the crime, Mayor Art Bettge ruled out that a serial killer was on the loose in the city. He said there was “no perceived danger” to the rest of the population and asked local and national press to await the results. With the investigation at a standstill, the politician had to back down and urged the community to be vigilant. After two weeks of investigations, there was not much progress.
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Authorities responded to an 911 call on Nov. 14 that drew attention to an unconscious person in the home. When they got to the scene, they found four bodies. The county coroner soon ruled out that it was a murder committed by one of the youths, who later committed suicide with a knife.
The coroner affirms that the murders took place between 3 and 4 in the morning on November 13. Two other boys, roommates of the victims who slept in the basement, had arrived at the apartment at one o’clock in the morning. They claim they were asleep and heard nothing strange when the murders were committed. Police do not consider these two survivors to be suspects.
The police could not name a topic with which they indicate to the population that they are on the trail of a suspect. They also could not find the murder weapon, which is believed to be a small knife used in hunting or other outdoor activities.
The mystery has increased. This has forced Idaho Gov. Brad Little to allocate $1 million in state-designated emergency funds to fund the investigation. The FBI, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, has assigned 44 agents to the case, more than half of whom are based in Moscow, dotting university life with the blue color of federal windbreakers. They are not the only ones involved in the investigation, the state police have deployed another 20 uniformed officers to follow up the leads.
The university, which specializes primarily in engineering and agriculture, has asked its professors to allow students who wish to connect remotely. University officials admit some of the student body didn’t return to campus after the Thanksgiving break because they didn’t feel safe. To reassure those who have returned, surveillance has been increased in the dormitories and escorts have been created to escort the young people to homes within the complex. In peaceful Moscow, a murderer is still at large.
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