Several days after four students were found fatally stabbed in an off-campus home on Sunday, the University of Idaho community is still on edge, and many students have already left the 10,000-student campus early for Thanksgiving break.
On Wednesday, Moscow police in northwest Idaho withdrew earlier claims that other locals were not in danger. Chief James Fry warned people to be cautious of their surroundings as authorities look into the murders of Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Ethan Chapin, 20, and Xana Kernodle, 20. No arrests have been made, and there isn’t even a description of the culprit.
What is known about the catastrophe and its effects is listed below.
What details About The Deaths Are Known?
Following a call about an unconscious person at a residence just south of campus around noon on Sunday, Moscow police said they arrived and discovered the student dead. Prior to authorities announcing that there was no danger to others and that the killings were a “isolated, targeted incident,” the community was initially advised to hide in place for nearly 40 minutes.
Wednesday marked Fry’s turnabout.
He told reporters, “We cannot declare that there is no threat to the community.
One was a triplet. One made a gay coworker feel safe amid unkindness. One was a “fighter through and through.” One was excited about her upcoming move to Boise.
We've heard about the University of Idaho students' deaths. Here's a little about their lives.https://t.co/K8KnukIi69— Sally Krutzig (@sallykrutzig) November 16, 2022
They all arrived back at the women’s house somewhere after 1:45 a.m. Chapin and Kernodle had been at a party on campus, while Mogen and Goncalves had been at a bar in the city. Despite not having located the knife, police said they suspect the four were stabbed. If the same knife was used on all four victims is unknown.
The property showed no signs of a forced entry, and Fry claimed that the officers were uncertain as to whether the doors had been locked. Everything seemed to be there.
According to Fry, there were two other people at the house when the attacks took place. He said that neither they had been hurt nor taken captive. When authorities arrived at the house in the afternoon, they were there.
Idaho kids were killed by a sharp object in a targeted assault, according to police.
Any Suspect?
Police announced on Wednesday that they had not identified a suspect and that no one had been charged.
Fry stated, “We are looking at everyone.
According to a report provided by the Moscow police on Thursday, autopsies of the victims revealed all four of them died by stabbing and that the killings were homicides.
More: Police Think The University Of Idaho Murders Were An “Isolated, Targeted Assault”
Police were attempting to create a timeline of the teenagers’ movements before to the stabbings. A video that showed Goncalves and Mogen visiting a food truck hours before they were killed, according to Fry, was known to the police.
The FBI and the Idaho State Police are assisting with the investigation.
Four students stabbed to death at Idaho university, killer on loose
Two unnamed roommates were inside the house when police arrivedhttps://t.co/owKyJmKSPK
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) November 17, 2022
The university’s president, Scott Green, advised students to be on guard even as security was stepped up over the weekend in a statement posted Thursday evening.
Green added, referring to the city’s police force, “This is a planned increase in response to your concerns and not a reflection of any new information or heightened threat communicated by MPD.”
What Do We Know About The Victims?
Conway, Washington native Chapin was a freshman majoring in recreation, sport, and tourism management. Both Mogen, a senior from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and Kernodle, a junior from Avondale, Arizona, were majoring in marketing. Goncalves was a senior majoring in general studies from Rathdrum, Idaho. They were all sororities or fraternities.
Stacy and Jim Chapin, the parents of Chapin, revealed to KING-TV in Seattle that their son was one of a set of triplets enrolled at the University of Idaho. According to his parents, Ethan Chapin enjoyed traveling with his family and playing soccer and volleyball.
According to a eulogy written by Kernodle’s sister and shared on Instagram, the person who was dating Chapin was a hard worker and a shining example in social settings. Jazzmin Kernodle stated that she “really was a once-in-a-lifetime type of person.”
She was “the ultimate middle kid,” according to Goncalves’s family, who provided a statement to the Spokane, Washington-based television station KXLY. They claimed that Mogen was one of the most sincere people they know and was their “bonus child.”
“Yes, we are all inconsolable. We are all grabbing, the Goncalves family admitted in a letter. “But rage is stronger than any of these emotions. We are furious. You ought to be furious. And we’ll track you down, whatever you are.
What Effect Has It On Community?
Residents of the University of Idaho community were shocked and terrified by the attacks, which marked the first murders in Moscow since 2015. The remote institution, which is located roughly 70 miles southeast of Spokane, canceled classes on Monday and let students who wished to go home take the rest of the week off. There was going to be a vigil following Thanksgiving.
Riley Hawley, a junior at the institution, has returned to the family’s home in Washington, according to Melissa Hawley, and she has no plans to return to campus until someone has been taken into custody.
The Moscow Police Department has informed us that there isn’t a threat to students, but they don’t currently have anyone in jail, which is frightening, according to Hawley. “I don’t understand how it’s not a danger if no one has been detained,” the speaker said.
Aubrie Goncalves, Goncalves’ sister, advised those still on campus to defend themselves.
To the University of Idaho students who are still hanging out near school, she urged them to leave in an Instagram post. Your lives are far more significant than your grades.
The university president, Green, wrote in a letter to students Thursday night that they are “encouraged to do what is right for you.”
You have our backing, he said, whether you decide to leave class early or not.
When questioned on Wednesday about the case’s lack of information, Fry said he could have been more open.
The truth is, Fry, replied, “I probably ought to have been here a day or two ago.” But I’m already here.
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