Entire Town On Edge: 911 Calls Skyrocket with Killer Still Prowling the Streets

By Abby Liebing November 29, 2022 at 9:27am

More than two weeks after four college students were stabbed to death, police in Moscow, Idaho, have not yet made any arrests — but they have been flooded with 911 calls.

On Nov. 13, 21-year-old Madison Mogen, 20-year-old Ethan Chapin, 20-year-old Xana Kernodle, and 21-year-old Kaylee Goncalves, all students at the University of Idaho, were stabbed to death at an off-campus home, the City of Moscow reported.

The bodies were autopsied and the coroner reported that the cause of death was “homicide by stabbing.”

“The coroner stated the four victims were likely asleep, some had defensive wounds, and each was stabbed multiple times. There was no sign of sexual assault,” the City of Moscow reported.

Since the deaths, police have been investigating and reported on Facebook that they have received many calls and that there is a lot of fear in the community.

“We understand there is a sense of fear within our community. Since November 13th, the department has received 78 calls for unusual circumstances and 36 requests to check the welfare of loved ones, an increase from 70 and 18, respectively, for all of October,” the City of Moscow Police Department posted on Facebook.

“At this time, no suspect has been identified and only vetted information that does not hinder the investigation will be released to the public. There is speculation, without factual backing, stoking community fears and spreading false facts. We encourage referencing official releases for accurate information and updated progress,” the post added.

Moscow is a small town, with fewer than 26,000 people. Until the November incident, it had not had any murders since 2015, CNN reported.

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Scott Green, the university president, said in a Nov. 22 memo that not all students wanted to return after Thanksgiving, since there has been no arrest, so the university is making accommodations for the final two weeks of the semester.

“We have heard from many of you about how you hope we will proceed as a university after Fall Break. Each idea, concern and fear has been heard and considered. We will strive to respond accordingly. As such, faculty have been asked to prepare in-person teaching and remote learning options so that each student can choose their method of engagement for the final two weeks of the semester. Moving courses fully online is not preferred but may be necessary in limited situations,” Green’s memo read.

Green also thanked the police for their efforts and work in the continued investigation.

“We continue to push for answers to this case while recognizing the enormity of the task ahead for dozens of law enforcement experts across agencies. We are not accustomed to this kind of violence in our town or at our university and are grateful to the Idaho State Police for increasing their visibility on our campus and in our community,” the memo continued.

The memo also announced that the university would be commemorating the victims on Nov. 30.

The Moscow Police, along with the Idaho State Police and the FBI, are working together on the investigation, the City of Moscow reported.

Law enforcement is looking for any outside surveillance in the relevant areas and is following up on information they received about Goncalves possibly having a stalker, a Nov. 25 press release said.

But along with no arrests, the police have neither named any suspects nor found any weapons, the City of Moscow reported.

Investigators have ruled out several people who were either seen earlier with the victims or somehow connected to them, a Nov. 27 press release noted.

The two surviving roommates, the person who drove Mogen and Goncalves home, the person at the “Grub Truck” where they stopped, the residents who made the 911 calls, and the man that Mogen and Goncalves called in the wee hours of Nov. 13 have all been ruled out as suspects, according to the report.

The press release noted that law enforcement is still going through hundreds of pieces of evidence and Idaho Gov. Brad Little has allocated up to $1 million from the state emergency fund to go toward the investigation.

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