Idaho Police Issue Big Update Related to Murders of 4 College Students – A New Search Is Underway

Police in Moscow, Idaho, have issued an alert for a vehicle related to the Nov. 13 deaths of four University of Idaho students.

Police posted the alert on their Facebook page, saying, “Moscow Police are Asking for the Community’s Help.”

“Detectives are interested in speaking with the occupant(s) of a white 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra, with an unknown license plate,” the alert said.

“Tips and leads have led investigators to look for additional information about a vehicle being in the immediate area of the King Street residence during the early morning hours of November 13th,” the post said, referring to the address of the house in which the four students were found dead.

“Investigators believe the occupant(s) of this vehicle may have critical information to share regarding this case,” the post said.

Moscow Police are asking for the publics help identifying this car and who the driver may be. Detectives want to speak with the occupants who were in this car near King Road the night of the murders. MPD believes they may have critical info regarding this case. pic.twitter.com/wSWZIThy9E

— John Webb (@johnwebbtv) December 7, 2022

The post noted further that “no suspect has been identified and only vetted information that does not hinder the investigation will be released to the public. We encourage referencing official releases for accurate information and updated progress.”

University of Idaho seniors Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum, Idaho, and Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho;  junior Xana Kernodle, 20, of Post Falls, Idaho; and freshman Ethan Chapin, 20, of Mount Vernon, Washington, were killed in an off-campus house they rented. To date, police have no suspects.

Although in the initial days after the investigation most of the police force of Moscow, a 24,000-person community, was focused on the crime, that has evolved. Patrol officers who initially guarded the scene have since resumed their usual duties, according to the Idaho Statesman.

The Moscow police force currently has six detectives on the case, supported by 48 FBI agents in Moscow and elsewhere, plus at least 30 Idaho State Police personnel, plus its forensics unit.

“I believe that the third phone call was to the state police activating them for aid. “Our agencies throughout the state, we work really well together,” Moscow Police Capt. Anthony Dahlinger said.

Aaron Snell, a representative for the Idaho State Police, said Moscow police is the lead agency.

“One hundred percent, this is definitely Moscow Police Department’s investigation, with the chief of police heading it up, all of the briefings as team lead, those type of things,” Snell said.

“Truly it’s state and federal resources supplementing with various specialties, because of the size of the investigation, which is a large investigation — four murders — and just a lot of resources. As needed, he asked and the agencies are able to provide that,” he said, referring to Moscow Police Chief James Fry.

On Wednesday, Fry gave an update. “This case is not going cold. We have tips coming in. We have investigators out every day interviewing people. We’re still reviewing evidence. We’re still looking at all aspects of this,” he told Fox News on Wednesday.

“And I said early on that no stone will go unturned. And I mean that. We are going to continue. This case is not going cold,” he said.

Fry said interviewing alone can be time-consuming, according to Fox News.

“We always have the option of re-interviewing. We’ve actually re-interviewed people two or three times because we’ll get tips, or we’ll get information that we need to verify again, and sometimes we need to ask the questions just a little bit different to ensure that we’re getting the proper information to continue on with this investigation. So, that happens regularly in all investigations,” he said.

More than 2,600 emailed tips, more than 2,700 phone tips and 1,000 digital media submissions have been received by the police, he said, according to the New York Post.