A retired homicide detective said the Idaho police investigating the quadruple murder that took place five weeks ago should have been much quicker to release information about a white Hyundai Elantra that was sighted near the scene.
The killing of four Idaho University students occurred on November 13. It wasn’t until more than three weeks later, on December 7, that investigative agencies asked the public for help locating a white 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra, despite having had surveillance footage of the vehicle since mid-November.
On November 14, detectives contacted landlord Kane Francetich, a local property owner, requesting surveillance footage of his six-unit rental building about 0.3 miles from the crime scene.
Francetich complied quickly, and the footage showed a light-colored car driving around near the time the murders took place.
Former Washington, DC homicide detective Ted Williams said it took police too long to release information about a white Hyundai Elantra following the murders
Members of the Moscow Police Department and Idaho State Police collect and remove the personal belongings and property from the home of the four murders of University of Idaho students
“I’m not critical of law enforcement,” Williams said in a recent interview with Fox. “What I’m saying is, you have to bring the public in to assist you in an investigation of this nature.”
On December 7, the Moscow Police Department asked the public for help locating the car that drove near the off-campus home where Ethan Chapin, Xana Kerndole, Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen were stabbed to death in the early hours of November 13 .
“The mere fact that within 24 hours of the murder of these four college students, they were able to determine that there was one [white or light-colored] Car nearby that they were trying to identify – you don’t wait three weeks,” Williams said.
“They immediately released this information to the public. Any information gathered by law enforcement will not pay off… When it comes to evidence of a car that was in the neighborhood, you may need to act on that information immediately,” he continued. ‘You get the public in right away.’
Williams added that in homicide investigations, authorities typically have about 48 hours to “review and process evidence that will bring the killer to justice.”
“The longer investigators wait for public support, the more difficult their investigations become.
“I see absolutely no reason to leave the car in the fold,” he said.
Victims: Pictured are the four Idaho students who were stabbed to death in the early hours of November 13. Ethan Chapin (center right, Xana Kerndole (right), Kaylee Goncalves (bottom left) and Madison Mogen (top left)
On December 7, Moscow police asked the public for help in locating a white 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra whose driver they say may have valuable information about the murders
The former homicide detective added that it was unclear to him why an employee at a Moscow gas station found video footage of a white sedan passing in front of police early in the morning on November 13.
Fox reported that as of November 14, detectives had collected eight hours of surveillance footage from a local gas station about a mile from the crime scene. But it was an employee who saw video footage of a white sedan driving past the train station at 3:45 a.m. on the morning of the killings.
“There’s absolutely no way … an employee at a gas station would be looking through a video for valuable information that law enforcement needs,” Williams said.
Williams has followed the case since news of the incredible tragedy first broke. He speculated that the killer or killers had been at the off-campus home prior to the night of the murder.
More than a month after the murders, local police have not announced any suspects or prospects in the case, which is haunting the small Idaho town.
Authorities, who have not responded to ‘s request for comment, are still searching for the 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra.
Last Thursday, Captain Roger Lanier said the force had combed a database of 22,000 registered white Hyundai Elantras that matched the suspect vehicle’s criteria.
The license plate remains unknown and may have been removed.
The head of the Moscow police said that “several groups” are currently reviewing video footage while trying to find concrete leads. He added that his troupe will continue their work over Christmas.
A vape shop manager (pictured) claims he spoke to her and her friend Maddison Mogen about Goncalves’ stalkers three weeks before they were killed in their beds
Kaylee and Madison were found on the top floor of the house in Moscow, Idaho. College lovers Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle were found in a second-floor bedroom, while survivors Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke were sleeping on the first floor
Recent reports have revealed a number of details about the circumstances surrounding the murders, including one of the girls – Kaylee Goncalves – allegedly had a stalker.
A local vape shop manager said a group of local girls including Maddie and Kaylee visited the store. He noted that because of their stalker, “it seemed like they were all trying to get Kaylee to safety.”