In the early morning hours of Nov. 13, a small town in Idaho called Moscow experienced a horrifying event that left residents feeling unsafe and heartbroken. In a house just outside of the University of Idaho campus, four students residing in the house were slain and found later in the morning.
Five roommates, a dog and one guest had been living in that house prior to the incident; after the tragic events, only two survived.
The victims; Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20, were slain in their beds around 3:30 a.m. The bodies were found shortly before noon the following day and the police were immediately notified. When the police arrived on the scene, they found four deceased bodies.
There are many questions circulating about this mysterious case: Who did it? How did they get in? What evidence was found? Where is the murder weapon? This case has left investigators puzzled.
Technology is being used to the best of its advancements, but will it be enough? DNA is being tested and investigators are constantly reviewing tips that may lead to new information. Surveillance cameras and social media posts have also been used in the investigation.
The murder weapon has been described as a large fix-blade knife. At this time, police are still trying to locate the knife and its source, but it is believed to still be in the hands of the murderer. Former FBI agent and retired profiler Mary Ellen O’Toole described what she thought the weapon could be,”A pretty sturdy knife, a very effective cutting instrument and one the offender likely had experience using. The offender probably would not get rid of the weapon,” O’Toole stated.
As police started the investigation, they began going through the house, looking for anything that would lead them to a suspect. The taped off the entire house, backyard, dumpster nearby and parts of a wooded area just outside the property.
Police have collected thousands of pieces of information, including over 100 pieces of physical evidence, over 4,000 photographs and several 3D scans of the house. They have also received over 1,000 tips and conducted almost 200 interviews to try and find even the smallest hint that would lead them to a suspect.
This case is being seen as a targeted attack. O’Toole continued, “It was highly likely the offender left a lot of physical evidence behind and may have even cut themself as they stabbed the victims.” With all of this evidence, investigators are hoping to reach a conclusion soon.”
This case has left many around the country on edge. College students all over the country began to worry for their safety, thinking if someone could commit such a horrendous crime and still be on the loose a month later, what else could happen?
A former graduate from Pleasant Valley, who now is a senior at University of Iowa has been following this case closely. Maggie Muszalski has lived in an apartment three out of the four years at Iowa. During this time, she has experienced some frightening events, such as a man trying to break into her apartment with a knife.
With this recent case, Muszalski has decided it is time to better prepare herself against threats. Recently she has taken some self defense classes, as well as getting better locks and security on the house. “I just want to feel safe in the environment I am in. It’s incredibly sad what happened to these kids and I would hate for it to happen in my personal life so I just want to be better prepared for more peace of mind.” Muszalski stated.
Although this isn’t an easy case for investigators to solve, they are using technology to their advantage.
DNA has been collected and sent to the lab and many devices are being used to help survey the scene. $1 million of state funding was allocated into this investigation to allow any and all resources to be used.
Although police and investigators have advanced technology at their fingertips, it is not enough in this case.
They can collect all the DNA possible, but if the suspect wasn’t ever prior convicted, they won’t be in the system to pinpoint a person. It could be years until the suspect commits another crime that the samples could be paired up with, assuming the crime occurs and DNA samples are left behind in the first place.
Everybody is eager to find out the outcome of the lead suspects in the case, but at this time, the police cannot release further information.“Only vetted information that does not hinder the investigation will be released to the public,” Moscow police reported on Dec. 2. Any false information released could hinder the investigation.
With the advancement of technology, there were higher expectations for its use in this case but at this time, no information has been released stating its true benefits. Police and investigators continue to work night and day on this case, trying to serve justice to the four victims of this heart wrenching case.
