() — The deaths of four University of Idaho students this Sunday at their off-campus home has brought investigative powers to local Moscow police, state police and the FBI.
Days after the deaths, there is no suspect, no murder weapon, and police have said nothing about what they know.
Still, information about the killings has been released, and a preliminary timeline reveals some of their final hours, as well as the response from the investigation.
Saturday November 12
Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle were University of Idaho students living in a nearby off-campus dormitory in Moscow, a college town of about 25,000.
They had two other roommates in the residence, a three-story, six-bedroom apartment.
Clockwise from bottom left: Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin, and Xana Kernodle. (Credit: Kaylee Goncalves/Instagram)
Goncalves posted a series of photos to her Instagram at some point with the caption “I’m a lucky girl to be surrounded by these people every day.” One of the photos shows Mogen sitting on Goncalves’s shoulders, with Chapin and Kernodle standing next to them.
That night, Chapin and Kernodle went to a party on campus, and Mogen and Goncalves went to a bar downtown, the police said.
Sunday, November 13
Mogen and Goncalves ordered something to eat at a late-night food truck around 1:41 a.m., shows live streaming on twitch from the food truck.
They ordered $10 worth of carbonara from Grub Truckers and waited about 10 minutes for their food. While they waited, they could be seen chatting with each other and with other people standing by the truck.
Joseph Woodall, 26, who drives the truck, said the two students did not appear to be at risk or endangered in any way.
Mogen, Goncalves, Chapin, and Kernodle returned to the house sometime in the early hours of the morning.
Around noon Sunday, a 911 call came in about an unconscious person in an off-campus residence. Police did not say who called 911.
Arriving officers found the residence door open and discovered the bodies of four fatally stabbed students.
“It was quite a traumatic scene to find four college students dead in a residence,” Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt later said. to affiliate KXLY.
Agents investigate a homicide at an apartment complex south of the University of Idaho campus on Sunday, November 13. (Zach Wilkinson/The Moscow-Pullman Daily News/AP)
There were no signs of forced entry or damage, police said.
Moscow police issued a statement saying four people were found dead in a house off campus. University of Idaho President Scott Green announced that all four victims were students and canceled classes Monday.
Monday November 14
Moscow police issued a statement identifying the four homicide victims as Chapin, Goncalves, Kernodle and Mogen.
Police said details were limited and no one was in custody. They added that Moscow police “do not believe there is an ongoing community risk based on information gathered during the preliminary investigation.”
Moscow, Idaho Mayor Art Bettge issued a statement calling the deaths “senseless acts of violence.” Bettge said only limited information can be shared without “jeopardizing the integrity of the investigation.”
Green issued a statement offering condolences to the families of the victims and the community.
“Moscow Police do not believe there is a continuing risk to the community based on information gathered during the preliminary investigation; however, we ask our employees to be empathetic, flexible, and to work with our students who want to return home to spend time with their families,” he said.
Tuesday, November 15
Moscow police issued a statement saying that a “sharp weapon like a knife” was used in the homicides. Police said there were no suspects in custody and they had not found the murder weapon.
“Furthermore, based on information from the preliminary investigation, investigators believe this was an isolated and targeted attack and that there is no imminent threat to the broader community,” police said.
Later that same day, the police issued another statement who was trying to assuage the fears of a murderer on the loose.
“We listen to them and understand their fears,” police said. “We determined early on in the investigation that we do not believe there is an ongoing threat to members of the community. The evidence indicates that it was a targeted attack.”
Wednesday, November 16
Moscow Police Department Chief James Fry speaks during a press conference in Moscow, Idaho, on November 16. (Moscow City)
Police Chief James Fry held a news conference, the department’s first on the case, and reiterated that there were no suspects. He also backed away from assurances that no one is at risk.
“We cannot say that there is no threat to the community,” Fry said. “And as we’ve said, stay alert, report any suspicious activity, and be aware of your surroundings at all times.”
The other two roommates were home at the time of the attack and were not injured, Fry said.
“There were other people at home at the time, but we’re not just targeting them, we’re targeting everyone who may be going to and coming from that residence,” he said.
— ‘s Andi Babineau, Caroll Alvarado and Sharif Paget contributed to this report.
