The newest tragedy that has taken over the nation’s headlines and news reports is the stabbing of four students at the University of Idaho in Moscow, ID.

When such a tragedy strikes, lightning fast isn’t fast enough. People want answers and they want to eliminate the chance of any more harm. This desire for answers often leads to rumors and fabrication. Wrong assumptions are much more comfortable than the vastness of the unknown.

But underneath all of the rumors and assumptions, there are still four students who were tragically killed on November 13 as they slept in their beds. Let’s discuss what we do know.

What We Know

Moscow Idaho is a small town of about 25,000 people. There hasn’t been a recorded murder there since 2015. It’s a beautiful college town with gorgeous scenery to study in. It’s near Spokane, Washington, and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho with many hiking trails that students enjoy.

On November 13th, 2022 around noon, a 911 call came in from an off-campus house in Moscow. It was reported that four of the six people in the home were stabbed to death in their sleep in the early hours of the morning. The victims are Ethan Chapin (20), Xana Kernodle (20), Kaylee Goncalves (21), and Madison Mogen (21).

• Xana and Madison worked at Mad Greek as servers together.

• Madison and Kaylee were longtime best friends.

There were also two other roommates in the house when the attack happened.

Timeline

• 1 am – The two unnamed roommates were home from their activities.

• 2 am – Madison, Kaylee, Xana, and Ethan were all home at this point

• Later once the roommates woke up, they called some friends over because they thought one of the victims had passed out.

• 11:58 am – One of the friends used a roommate’s phone to call 911 and reported “someone unconscious”.

Police Findings

Once the emergency personnel and police arrived, they found two victims on the second floor and two victims on the third. There were no signs of forced entry or damage in the home. During their search, they collected lots of evidence including:

• 113 pieces of evidence
• 4000 crime scene photos
• several 3D scans of the house

Since their search of the home, the authorities have been investigating every possible lead and potential suspect. They’ve collected 1000 tips and conducted 150 interviews. At this time they haven’t released a list of suspects, but they have informed us of which suspects they’ve ruled out.

Ruled-Out Suspects

• the two surviving roommates
• the other friends in the house when 911 was called
• the person who drove Kaylee and Madison home
• a man caught in a surveillance video at the food truck that Kaylee and Madison stopped at
• a man that Kaylee and Madison called numerous times in the hours before their death
• a sixth person listed as a tenant of the home

Coroner Report

The coroner found that each victim had several stab wounds and was most likely asleep when the attacks commenced. Some of the victims had clear defensive wounds. They believe the murder weapon was a fixed-blade knife, although the murder weapon has not been found.

There were also no signs of sexual assault.

The Goncalves Findings

Kaylee’s family has hired a private investigator in hopes to move the case along at a quicker speed. While the police are doing everything they can, the town hasn’t experienced a murder since 2015. This is new territory for some officials. The Goncalves has said that from those findings, Kaylee’s injuries were much more brutal than the other victims.

They also found that Kaylee and Madison were asleep in the same bed and died together. Kaylee’s dad says he finds a lot of comfort in this. His daughter wasn’t alone in these terrifying moments. She was with her oldest companion.

Isolated and Targeted

As police allowed students and faculty to come back to school after Thanksgiving break, many wondered if it was safe. After all, there was a killer still out on the streets.

People are filled with fear and want answers. But the police have stated that they believe the killings were “targeted and isolated”. They have stated that there is no perceived threat to the community. Whether somebody was targeted or the residence itself was targeted, they believe it won’t happen again.

Armchair Detectives and Web Sleuths

Karen Kilgariff said of this case, “It’s like a movie is starting but it’s not going anywhere. It’s just getting scarier as the moments pass” I think that perfectly captures the feeling around this case. It’s a horror movie that won’t progress, and we all just want to skip to the end.

As we search for answers let us remember the people involved. It can be easy to draw connections and fabricate evidence as we all sit on the edge of our armchairs. Believe me, I do it all the time. But we have to remember what we know for sure: These four students are dead, and their killer is out there. Spreading rumors about things we don’t know just leads to multiplying heartbreak, tragedy, and confusion.

For all the friends and family of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, and Madison Mogen, my deepest sympathies. Here’s to finding the killer and receiving justice, even though that can never make up for the loss.