Police say four University of Idaho students found dead in an off-campus home were targeted, and the killer or killers used a knife or other "edged weapon." Video / AP
Once famous for its parties, the grey three-storey house set into the hill at 1122 King Road now has a cold silence hanging over it.
Snow has covered the flowers left in tribute to Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Ethan Chapin, 20 and Xana Kernodle, 20 - the four University of Idaho students stabbed to death in their beds last month as two other housemates slept downstairs.
There were no screams for help. No sign of forced entry. No known motive. And one month later, there is still no suspect.
In the frozen town of Moscow, Idaho, families are becoming frustrated with the police investigation, online sleuths are searching for answers and students are frightened that the killer will strike again.
”We’re doing the best we can to apprehend the individual or individuals, but we want to make sure people remain vigilant,” Robbie Johnson, public information officer for Idaho Police, told the Sunday Telegraph.
”There is a murderer - or murderers - out there right now, whether it’s in our community or in somebody else’s community.”
The victims
On the top floor was Madison, or Maddie, a student with a “hearty laugh” and a famous pair of pink cowboy boots. She shared a floor with Kaylee, her best friend since they were both 11 years old.
Ethan, from Mount Vernon, Washington, slept on the middle floor with his girlfriend, Xana, who was described as “the definition of sunshine”. As a couple, they were known as “the life of the party”.
Two other women, Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke, slept on the bottom floor. As a group, and as individuals, the housemates were the popular kids at their university.
“One lucky girl to be surrounded by these people every day,” Kaylee wrote beneath a photo of the four all hugging tightly. It would be her last Instagram post.
The King Road student home - in a prime spot just off campus and overlooking fraternity houses - was always the place to be. Since August, police had received three noise complaints.
When the Telegraph visited, there was a sofa in the garden, a barbecue on the porch and a bin still overflowing with cans of alcoholic drinks. But on Saturday, November 12, all was quiet.
A Moscow police officer on guard in his vehicle at the home where four University of Idaho students were found dead. Photo / AP
The night before the murder
Maddie and Kaylee went out drinking until 1.45am - they went to a food truck, then took a ride home shortly afterwards, getting back at 1.56am. The two girls got into bed together and made a series of late-night phone calls to Kaylee’s ex-boyfriend until 2.52am.
Ethan and Xana were at a party at his Sigma Chi fraternity house, just 600 feet away, between 8 and 9pm, and didn’t return to King Road until 1.45am. What they did in between remains a major question mark that police are investigating.
Dylan and Bethany - the housemates who survived - had also been out in town and returned home at 1am. Police say they did not wake until the following morning. They have been ruled out as suspects. At some point between 3am and 6am on Nov 13, the killer - or killers - entered, most likely through a sliding window or door on the second floor.
Using a fixed-blade knife, they stabbed Kaylee, Madison, Ethan and Xana to death.
There were signs of a struggle - police said some of the victims had “defensive wounds” - but no indication of sexual assault. The attacker or attackers then slipped back out into the night, taking the murder weapon with them.
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 their untimely deaths. Photo / via Instagram
The morning after
When Dylan and Bethany woke up and found one of their housemates unresponsive - it is not known which one - they believed they were merely unconscious after their night out. Instead of ringing the police or an ambulance, they called friends over for help. It wasn’t until 11.58am that they phoned 911. The audio of that call has not yet been released.
When officers arrived shortly afterwards, they quickly realised they were dealing with the first murders the town had seen in seven years.
In the days afterwards, the response was confusing. A prosecutor for Latah County said the “attack was intended for a specific person”. Then police said that was a “miscommunication”, and they could not rule out a random or opportunistic attack.
Now, they have said it was a targeted killing, but investigators have “not concluded” if the target was the residence - for example, someone looking for drugs or money - or the occupants.
”There seems to be confusion everywhere you look,” Kaylee’s father Steven Goncalves said. He has hired a private investigator and a lawyer to push police to release more information.
There is a lot that is still not known - at least not publicly. What order were the students killed in? Where were Xana and Ethan all evening? Which friends were invited over in the morning, and what did they do?
Could the Sigma Chi house, which has said it is co-operating with police, hold some answers? Members were reportedly interviewed by police looking for signs of cuts or bruises on their arms. The fraternity did not respond when approached for comment.
Authorities point to the sheer amount of evidence they have to wade through: 113 pieces of physical evidence, 4,000 photographs of the crime scene and nearly 6,000 tips. Dozens of local and state officers, plus FBI agents and a forensics team are working the case.
”People forget it takes time in a criminal investigation,” Idaho Police’s Ms Johnson said.
Amateur sleuths are sharing theories online, ranging from an incel killer taking revenge on the college’s popular kids to a serial killer linked to a similar attack in Oregon last year.
Threads on Reddit and groups on Facebook have tens of thousands of members. Subjects of posts include police reports of strange men seen wandering around the area and discussion of what body camera footage from a different incident that night really shows. There is even a poll for people to vote on who they think did it.
The rumours and accusations have prompted police to set up a Q&A page to address theories and rule out suspects. But the case has continued to make headlines. Four weeks on, TV crews still stand guard outside the house, and there is already a podcast series.
The residents of Moscow remain stunned by the horror that invaded their quiet town.
“We live in a very safe community with little to no violent crime. This was absolutely breathtaking,” said Torrey Lawrence, the University of Idaho’s provost.
Officials estimate up to 40 per cent of the 11,000 students have not returned to campus since the murders. Those who remain don’t go out as much.
Everyone - especially the families of the victims - wants the mystery to be solved.
”Turn yourself in,” Kristi Goncalves pleaded in a television appeal to the killer. “Stop all this. Let us mourn our children. We can’t with this person out there. Just end it. The guilt has got to be overwhelming. Stop hiding.”
