Moscow police search for white Hyundai Elantra seen near murder house – latest

Moscow Police’s announcement early in the investigation into the slayings of Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen that two roommates had been in the home during the violent murders but were not “necessarily considered witnesses” raised questions about how they were seemingly able to sleep through it.

The surviving roommates are thought to have arrived nearly an hour before the victims and were on the first floor when the killings took place between 3am and 4am, authorities have said.

A 911 call was then made at 11.58am from the cellphone of one of the roommates.

A former tenant of the residence, which is just five minutes away driving from the University of Idaho, has now come forward saying that it was not unusual for him not to hear noises from the upper levels when he was downstairs.

“I wouldn’t have heard it from downstairs,” 43-year-old Ryan Augusta told Fox News Digital last week.

Steve Goncalves, whose daughter Kaylee Goncalves was brutally stabbed along with her friends Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin on 13 November, told the New York Post on Sunday – three weeks after the killings – that he has turned to private investigators for help.

His decision to seek outside help stems from a lack of confidence in the Moscow Police Department, which has been working with the Idaho State Police and the FBI on the murders.

“Officers did not find any evidence on the dog and there was no indication the animal had entered the crime scene,” the statement said.

It remains unclear where Murphy was physically located when the murders took place, police said.

Investigators previously revealed that the dog was found inside the home when officers arrived on the scene of the murders on 13 November.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the story:

The man dubbed “hoodie guy” in online sleuth communities – who police previously said is not considered connected to the 13 November killings – became the target of renewed speculation this week after the father of slain student Kaylee Goncalves mentioned rumours around him in an interview with The New York Post on Monday.

A Twitch livestream from the Grub Truck in Moscow, Idaho, captured the man standing nearby Goncalves and Madison Mogen on the night of 12 November, hours before the women were stabbed to death along with their roommate Xana Kernodle and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin at an off-campus home.

Speaking to Fox News Digital on Monday, Scott Laramie described the nightmare of losing his and his wife’s only child as “the hardest thing in the world.”

Mr Laramie is the stepfather of Madison Mogen, one of four students killed in Moscow.

“It’s still hard to believe sometimes. We get up in the morning, and it’s like, ‘Nah this isn’t happening,’ then it kicks in,” Mr Laramie told Fox.

“We love her and we miss her, and it’s the hardest thing in the world to try to figure out how to live without her.”

The Independent has the story:

Jennifer Coffindaffer, a former FBI agent who worked 25 years for the agency, told NBC News on Wednesday that it could be a long time before the murderer of four University of Idaho students is brought to justice.

“This is a case that only the most experienced crime techs can solve and answer,” Ms Coffindaffer said. “It’s going to take a long, long time.”

The veteran former agent said on Twitter that the case, which entered its third week on Sunday, could test the patience of law enforcement.

“True joint LE effort with local, state & federal authorities coming together to do everything in their power to solve this case,” she added. “This case will test patience as LE examines evidence to find the killer.”

In an interview with Fox News Digital, John Henry Browne compared the crime scene at 1122 King Road to a “de facto sorority house,” which Bundy targeted during his violent crime sprees in the 1970s.

“Just the randomness of it is actually something that does stand out,” Mr Browne told the outlet.

“Of course, most of Ted’s misbehaviour was random. There were times when Ted would follow people and then decide not to kill them. And that was his way of exercising his grandiosity, you know, ‘I can control life here and there.’”

While officials are remaining tightlipped about key parts of the investigation including why they believe the murders were targeted, they have debunked several online rumours and ruled out potential ties to the killings.

Moscow Police dispelled a false rumour circulating online that the four victims had been bound and gagged during the brutal attack.

The department also ruled out a connection between the murder and two other stabbings in 1999 and 2021.

Moscow Police Chief James Fry said on Tuesday that police will start returning personal items to the victims’ families.

Up to 40 percent of University of Idaho students have chosen not to return to campus for the remainder of the winter semester in light of the killer of four students still being at large.

Data from the college has revealed that around 60 to 75 percent of students are on campus – meaning around 25 to 40 percent are not.

In October 2022 – one month before the murders – the university was home to around 11,500 students.

The student population accounts for a large proportion of the small college town of around 25,000 people.

But, with no arrests made in the brutal murders, many students have chosen not to return.

Among those who have, many have changed their habits.

The Independent previously reported how students are arming themselves with guns and ordering deadlocks for their doors in efforts to keep them safe.