As the investigation into the quadruple homicide involving four local university students enters its third week, Moscow, Idaho, police are dealing with an influx of callers concerned for their safety.
As of November 27, the Moscow Police Department had received an increase in calls from people reporting “unusual circumstances” or requesting welfare checks on loved ones in the weeks following the murders of four University of Idaho students on November 13.
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Police have received 78 calls for unusual circumstances and 36 requests for a welfare check, up from 70 and 18, respectively, in October as a whole, according to a press release issued on November 27. Police are also concerned about a trend in which callers notify their friends or family before calling officers to respond, according to authorities.
“We understand there is a sense of fear within our community. For life-safety and emergencies, we want to remind our community to call 9-1-1 before notifying family or friends,” police said.
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University of Idaho students Ethan Chapin, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Madison Mogen, 21, were stabbed several times and killed in the early morning hours of November 13, according to officials. Police have not identified any suspects and have not recovered a murder weapon.
The Moscow Police Department received a call shortly before noon on November 13 for a report of an “unconscious person” at the King Road residence, but several people had gathered at the crime scene by the time officers arrived, according to officials.
The 911 call “originated from inside the residence,” according to police, and came from one of the surviving roommates’ cell phones. According to police, several people called the dispatcher before officers arrived.
Investigators believe all four were stabbed in their sleep between 3 and 4 a.m., after they had returned home from a night out. Some of the victims appeared to have attempted self-defense.
According to police, all four victims were killed with a single “fix-blade knife.” Two other roommates were inside the house at the time of the murders, on the bottom floor, but were unharmed.
