Idaho murders – live: Moscow police reveal sixth person may have lived at house as crime scene probe wraps up

Moscow Police have revealed for the first time that a sixth person may have also lived in the home where four University of Idaho students were brutally murdered in their beds.

“Detectives are aware of a sixth person listed on the lease at the residence but do not believe that individual was present during the incident,” the department said in an update on Thursday.

The identity of the sixth person has not been released.

The shocking revelation comes after authorities previously said only five people were living at the property – victims Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle, along with two other roommates who survived the attack.

Goncalves, Mogen, Kernodle and Kernodle’s boyfriend Ethan Chapin were all stabbed to death in the home in the early hours of 13 November.

Now, 19 days into the investigation, the killer is still at large and detectives are wrapping up their work at the crime scene.

Key points

• Victim’s father reveals she died in same bed as best friend

• Officials now walk back ‘targeted’ claim

• Devastated parents speak at vigil for slain Idaho students

• First crime scene forensics come back from lab

• Prosecutor admits it ‘could be while’ before killer is caught

• Neighbour slams Reddit sleuths who cast suspicion on him

Sixth person may have also lived at murder house

10:59 , Rachel Sharp

A sixth person may have also lived in the home where four University of Idaho students were brutally murdered in their beds, it has now been revealed.

Moscow Police made the annoucement in an update on Thursday.

“Detectives are aware of a sixth person listed on the lease at the residence but do not believe that individual was present during the incident,” the department said.

The identity of the sixth person has not been released and it is not clear when they lived at the property.

The shocking revelation comes after authorities previously said only five people were living at the property – victims Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle, along with two other roommates who survived the attack.

Moscow police website says investigators do not know whether attack was targeted

10:40 , Rachel Sharp

Confusion is mounting around the unsolved murders as investigators appeared to walk back their claim that one or more of the victims was “targeted” in the brutal attack.

On Wednesday, Moscow Police Department released a statement saying that they actually “do not currently know” if the killer specifically targeted the victims or the off-campus home on King Road that became the site of the bloodbath.

“We have spoken with the Latah County Prosecutor’s Office and identified this was a miscommunication,” the statement said.

“Detectives do not currently know if the residence or any occupants were specifically targeted but continue to investigate.”

Families decry rampant conspiracies

10:20 , Rachel Sharp

Grieving parents have pleaded for others to stop spreading rumours, which have been proliferating on the ground and on the internet since the 13 November slayings.

“All the noise out there is really harming the families,” a friend of Kristi and Steve Goncalves, Kaylee’s parents, told The Independent last week. “And it’s taking the police down trails that are not real and taking them away from the ones that are.”

Police, meanwhile, have issued similar pleas, updating their social media posts repeatedly to address specific inaccuracies circulating.

They shot down reports that the skinning of a nearby pet dog was related to the murders; then they said a report of a man waiting in a woman’s car was “unfounded.”

They said that two stabbings in Washington and Oregon, in 1999 and 2021, respectively, were also not linked to the murders in Moscow.

Sheila Flynn has more:

Families of Idaho murder victims beg for calm as conspiracists hijack case

These 11 questions could hold the key to solving the Idaho murders

10:00 , Rachel Sharp

With each piece of information revealed or theory debunked, dozens more questions emerge.

The investigation into the brutal murders of University of Idaho students Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Ethan Chapin is now in its third week, with the killer or killers still at large.

Every individual connected to the case so far – from two surviving roommates to a victim’s former boyfriend – has been publicly ruled out by police, leaving an echo chamber with no names to fill it.

Details about the murders that shook the small college town of Moscow, Idaho, remain scant, the murder weapon is nowhere to be found and there are huge gaps in the timeline of the last known movements of two of the victims.

Sheila Flynn, Rachel Sharp and Andrea Blanco report on the murders that have rocked the small town of Moscow:

These 11 questions could hold the key to solving the Idaho murders

From campus to club to crime scene: The victim’s final hours

09:40 , Rachel Sharp

It could have been anyone, in any US college town.

That’s how typical the murdered students’ behaviour was in Moscow, Idaho, just hours before they were brutally stabbed to death.

They did what they’d do on any Saturday night. Could clues to the Idaho killings lie in victims’ ordinary evenings?

Reporting from Idaho, The Independent’s Sheila Flynn outlines the four young students’ final hours:

Campus to club to crime scene: Final hours of Idaho college murder victims

Conspiracies that have been ruled out

09:20 , Rachel Sharp

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

“Online reports of the victims being tied and gagged are not accurate,” the department said in a press release.

Meanwhile, Moscow Police ruled out a possible connection with a 2021 stabbing in Oregon saying that, “while these cases share similarities ... there does not appear to be any evidence to support the cases are related”.

Police also said that there is no evidence to suggest that the Idaho murders are connected to a double stabbing in Pullman, Washington, back in 1999 or with an incident in which a dog was found skinned and “filleted.”

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has more:

Idaho college murders: The rumours and conspiracy theories ruled out

Idaho university murder victim’s father says police have told him nothing for days

09:00 , Andrea Blanco

On Saturday, Steve Goncalves told Fox News that investigators had fallen silent with him ever since as he voiced frustration with the lack of information he has been given about what happened to his 21-year-old daughter.

“Law enforcement told me that they were going to drop off a little bit and not to expect the same type of communication that I had gotten before,” he said.

“They’re kind of just telling me that they can’t tell me much, which is frustrating to me because I’ve been very trustworthy,” adding that he does know some additional information than has been made public.

“I do know things, I haven’t shared things,” he said.

While he said he believes the law enforcement officers working on the case are “hardworking individuals”, he admitted that the silence has left the family “definitely concerned”.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the story:

Kaylee Goncalves’ father says he is ‘concerned’ with Idaho police silence on murders

Terror grips Idaho college town after quadruple murder

08:00 , Andrea Blanco

Parents are ordering deadbolts, teens are asking for guns and the streets are empty in Moscow.

There is a killer - or killers - on the loose, more than two weeks after four college students were murdered in their beds.

Locals tell The Independent’s Sheila Flynn how fear is deepening as time goes by without any arrests and with little information from police.

Read the full story:

Guns, deadbolts and mass student exodus: Terror grips Idaho town after murders

Police rule out ‘red Mustang’ Idaho murders conspiracy theory rampant on Reddit

07:00 , Andrea Blanco

In a statement, the Moscow police department said “there have been online reports of a red Mustang on S Deakin St being processed as part of the investigation” but “this case is not related” to the ongoing murder investigation”.

After cops failed to identify a suspect or locate the murder weapon, speculations were rife on social media, with the latest being one about a red Mustang.

One of the users on Twitter shared a photo of the car with a Reddit screenshot that read: “Yesterday [25 November] I took a screenshot from the Idaho murder Facebook group of what appears to be a red Mustang convertible being searched by a forensics team.”

But the Moscow police put all these speculations and conspiracy theories to rest by refuting that the red Mustang had anything to do with the ongoing investigation.

‘Targeted’ may not be ‘best word’ for Idaho college murders, Moscow officials admit

06:00 , Andrea Blanco

From the outset of the investigation, Moscow authorities have insisted the attack was ‘targeted’ – but have refused to reveal what has led them to that conclusion.

Now, the local prosecutor is walking the claim that the killings were “targeted”, admitting it “perhaps isn’t the best word to use” to describe the brutal murders.

“It seems like the word targeted has different understandings for different people who are listening and perhaps isn’t the best word to use,” Latah County Prosecutor Prosecutor Bill Thompson told NewsNation on Tuesday.

Read the full story:

‘Targeted’ may not be ‘best word’ for Idaho college murders

University of Idaho celebrates vigil in tribute of victims

05:00 , Andrea Blanco

School officials acknowledged the pain and fear in the community, as the killer remains at large.

“We don’t know how long this investigation will take and we don’t know the ‘why’ behind this horrific act, but what we do know is we will all come together,” Dean Eckles said.

“What you are feeling is real,” he added. “The sadness. The confusion. The worry and the anxiety. It’s OK to have those feelings. I have them too.”

The event concluded with a reading of the victims’ names along with a moment of silence, as students held lights and phones up in the air.

The Independent has the story:

‘We’re gunna get justice’: Parents share memories and grief at Idaho murders vigil

Each individual so far linked to the murder investigation has now been ruled out as a potential suspect

04:30 , Andrea Blanco

Moscow Police have said that the two surviving housemates who were in the home at the time of the killings and the other friends who were in the home when the 911 call was made are not considered suspects.

A man who was caught on camera with Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves at a food truck in the downtown area before they headed home and the private party who then gave the pair a ride home from the truck have also been ruled out.

Goncalves’ former long-term boyfriend, with whom she shares a pet dog Murphy, is also not being considered a suspect.

Five vehicles are seized by police

04:00 , Andrea Blanco

Police investigating the murder of four university students in Moscow, Idaho, are examining five vehicles thought to be connected.

The Moscow Police Department said on Tuesday afternoon that it was moving five vehicles away from the crime scene to a “secure” location to properly scrutinise them for evidence.

“Today, as part of the ongoing homicide investigation and original search warrant, there will be an increase in detective activity and tow trucks on-site as investigators move five vehicles from within the police perimeter to a more secure long-term storage location to continue processing evidence,” the department said.

'Xana loved her dog, Shoeshine, enjoyed EDM music, going to concerts, spending time with her friends’

03:30 , Andrea Blanco

An obituary for Xana Kernodle, detailing how she “passed away far too soon”, was posted in local paper CDAPress on Wednesday.

“Xana Kernodle of Post Falls, Idaho, sadly passed away far too soon Nov. 13, 2022, at the age of 20,” it reads.

“Xana was born in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, at Kootenai Health Hospital on July 5, 2002.”

“Xana grew up in Post Falls and was a talented gymnast as a child. She attended Post Falls Middle and High School, where she played volleyball, track and soccer until she graduated in 2020.”

“During high school she worked at Texas Roadhouse and went on to attend the University of Idaho, where she majored in marketing and was an active member of Pi Beta Phi sorority and the Vandal Solutions Sales Team. When she wasn’t participating in these activities, she was working at her part-time job at Mad Greek Restaurant in Moscow, Idaho.”

Lab results come back to investigators

03:00 , Andrea Blanco

Idaho State Police Communications Director Aaron Snell told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that investigators were starting to receive the results from forensic testing.

“I do know that each type of testing… some take longer than others. And I also do know that there have been results that have been returned and those go directly to the investigators, so that way they can help, again, paint that picture as we keep talking about,” he said.

Mr Snell refused to reveal whether DNA that did not belong to the four victims or the two surviving roommates had been found at the crime scene as it is hoped that the forensics could finally provide some clues to lead police to the killer.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp and Andrea Blanco have the story:

Police get lab results from Idaho murders house crime scene two weeks after killings

Madison Mogen’s father remembers happy memories with his daughter

02:30 , Andrea Blanco

Ben Mogen, father of Madison Mogen, shared a touching story about seeing a Mac Miller concert with his daughter.

The two loved seeing live music together, and Maddie was disappointed when the rapper came to town and Ben was unable to score tickets.

Then, on the final night before the show, he won a radio contest and was able to take Maddie and her friends after all on special VIP passes, which included a meet-and-greet with the artist.

“That was the happiest memory I could think of that we shared together,” Mr Mogen said, describing his daughter as a hard-working young woman who treated everyone with kindness.

A timelime of the events

02:00 , Andrea Blanco

Despite more details becoming available in the two weeks since the murders took place, key pieces of what happened in the early morning hours of 13 November remain missing.

Police have revealed the victims’ last steps, yet the timeline becomes blurry as the second part of the night of the murders progresses.

On the night of 12 November, Goncalves and Mogen spent around three hours at Corner Club at the northern edge of Main Street.

The pair walked straight down Main Street to a red brick building that used to host the now-defunct Garden Lounge; a favourite food truck, Grub Wandering Kitchen - fondly called Grub Truck by its many local fans – often parks outside on Main Street.

Goncalves and Mogen ordered, laughed and chatted with friends as they got their pasta carbonara; according to police, they got a lift home from a “private party” and returned to King Road around 1.56am.

Kernodle and Chapin returned to King Road at around 1.45am. The young couple had gone to a party across the road at Sigma Chi.

The other two roommates at King Road – who have still not been named by authorities – had gotten home first, around 1am, and fallen asleep, according to police.

Mogen and Goncalves both made multiple calls to the same number around an hour after they got home.

Goncalves’ sister said the unanswered calls were placed to her ex-boyfriend, who’d dated her sister for years before they amicably split, still sharing a dog named Murphy. He has been ruled out as a suspect.

Authorities believe a killer or killers fatally stabbed Chapin, Kernodle, Goncalves and Mogen between 3am and 4am.

Their bodies weren’t found until nearly nine hours later, around noon on 13 November.

Ethan Chapin’s family remembers him during vigil

01:30 , Andrea Blanco

“Make sure that you spend as much time as possible with those people because time is precious and it’s something you can’t get back,” Stacy Chapin, the mother of Ethan Chapin, said onstage as she choked up.

She recalled how her son loved country music and spending time on the lake in the family boat.

Snow blanketed the campus of the University of Idaho on Wednesday evening, as students, families, and community members joined together for a vigil remembering four students who were brutally murdered earlier this month.

Read more here.

Everything we know about the 911 call

01:00 , Andrea Blanco

The 911 call was made at 11.58pm on 13 November and originated from the phone of one of the two roommates who survived the attack.

A dispatcher was told there was “an unconscious individual.”

Authorities have since revealed that other “friends” were present in the house when the 911 call was made after they were “summoned by the roommates.”

“The surviving roommates summoned friends to the residence because they believed one of the second-floor victims had passed out and was not waking up,” a statement by Moscow PD read.

“Multiple people talked with the 911 dispatcher before a Moscow Police officer arrived at the location. Officers entered the residence and found the four victims on the second and third floors.”

Idaho police investigation of murder house coming to end

00:30 , Andrea Blanco

Police in Idaho are wrapping up the investigation at the house where four University of Idaho students were brutally murdered – despite the killer still being at large and officials appearing to be no closer to solving the crime.

Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were found stabbed to death inside an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, on 13 November.

The three female students all lived at the three-storey home on King Road together with two other roommates and Chapin was staying the night with his girlfriend Kernodle.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the story:

Idaho investigation of murder house coming to end – despite no signs of killer

Victims’ died quickly in the attack, father claims

00:00 , Andrea Blanco

Investigators believe that the four victims were killed between 3am and 4am on 13 November, but the alarm was not raised by two surviving roommates until later in the day.

A 911 call at 11.58am asked dispatchers to send help with an unconscious person who would not wake up.

Officers who responded to the home found the four victims on the second and third floors.

Steve Goncalves says that his daughter and the other victims died quickly in the attack, which was carried out using a “brutal weapon.”

“Nobody suffered and nobody felt like that kind of pain,” he told ABC News.

“The detective said this weapon is probably something (the killer) paid money for and something that they’re proud of,” he said.

University of Idaho alumna has raised almost $20,000 in donations to buy 1,900 personal alarms

Thursday 1 December 2022 23:30 , Andrea Blanco

Kerry Ulhorn, a 37-year-old former member of the Delta Gamma sorority, told The Independent that she wanted to help students feel safe in the college town after four sorority and fraternity members were stabbed to death in a brutal knife attack back on 13 November.

“The hope is that these will give the students on campus a small sense of security and also just let them know that their alumni and others deeply care about keeping them and the university that we love a safe space for them to be,” she said.

Two weeks have now passed since Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were brutally murdered in the off-campus home that the three female students shared.

The Independent’s Io Dodds and Rachel Sharp have the story;

Ex-University of Idaho student raises $20,000 for personal alarms after murders

Victim’s father reveals reason why his family will not give her a funeral

Thursday 1 December 2022 22:54 , Andrea Blanco

Kaylee Goncalves was killed at an off-campus house in the city of Moscow, Idaho, in the early hours of 13 November, with police still hunting for the murderer.

Goncalves, 21, was slain along with her best friend, Madison Mogen, 21, another roommate Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kernodle’s boyfriend Ethan Chapin, 20.

Kaylee’s father, Steve Goncalves, says that the family has not been able to bring itself to have a commemoration for their daughter just yet.

“My wife’s biggest fear, part of the reason we didn’t have a funeral, is because she couldn’t be guaranteed that that monster was going to not be there,” he told ABC News.

Neighbour hits out at internet sleuths

Thursday 1 December 2022 21:52 , Andrea Blanco

A neighbour of the four University of Idaho students who were murdered on 13 November has hit out at Reddit sleuths who claimed that his media appearances were suspicious.

Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were found dead in an off-campus home on 13 November.

Jeremy Reagan, a third-year law student, said he went to bed early on the night of the murders, but Reddit commenters are finding his statements suspicious.

“[It’s] upsetting being compared to a murderer when I didn’t do anything,” Mr Reagan told Court TV.

Victim’s father recounts Kaylee and Maddie’s frienship

Thursday 1 December 2022 21:13 , Andrea Blanco

Steve Goncalves gave a heartbreaking speech at a vigil for the victims on Wednesday evening.

Mr Goncalves told how her “absolutely beautiful” daughter and her best friend, Madison Moge, first met in sixth grade and became inseparable.

“They just found each other, and every day they did homework together, they came to our house together, they shared everything,” he said.

“Then they started looking at colleges, they came here together. They eventually get into the same apartment together.”

Some of Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin’s movements on the night of the murders are unclear

Thursday 1 December 2022 20:28 , Andrea Blanco

Police said the young couple were at the Sigma Chi party from around 8 to 9pm.

It is unclear where they were between 9pm and 1.45am; the area would have been busy at that time, surrounded by other student accommodations, as other young people headed home, too.

Aside from the calls made by Goncalves, what happened when the four returned home also remains a mystery.

It is not known if the killer had entered the house before the victims arrived home and hid before striking in their sleep or whether he entered the house after the students returned.

It’s also unclear when and how the suspect fled the home or if he has already left Moscow.

Polcie seize five vehicles

Thursday 1 December 2022 19:57 , Andrea Blanco

Police investigating the murder of four university students in Moscow, Idaho, are examining five vehicles thought to be connected.

The Moscow Police Department said on Tuesday afternoon that it was moving five vehicles away from the crime scene to a “secure” location to properly scrutinise them for evidence.

“Today, as part of the ongoing homicide investigation and original search warrant, there will be an increase in detective activity and tow trucks on-site as investigators move five vehicles from within the police perimeter to a more secure long-term storage location to continue processing evidence,” the department said.

Half-empty Idaho campus full of fear and grief after murders

Thursday 1 December 2022 19:24 , Andrea Blanco

In a normal year, University of Idaho students would be bustling between classes and the library, readying for the pre-finals cramming period known as “dead week.”

On Wednesday, however, a little under half the students appeared to be gone, choosing to stay home and take classes online rather than return to the town where the murders of four classmates remain unsolved, said Blaine Eckles, the university’s dean of students.

Some students who were in attendance were relying on university-hired security staffers to drive them to class because they didn’t want to walk across campus alone.

University of Idaho mourns four victims

Thursday 1 December 2022 18:48 , Andrea Blanco

Snow blanketed the campus of University of Idaho on Wednesday evening, as students, families, and community members joined together for a vigil remembering four students who were brutally murdered earlier this month.

It’s been more than two weeks since Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kerndole and Ethan Chapin were killed in the early hours of 13 November.

Police still have few clues as to who murdered the students or what inspired such violence, but university officials and families of the victims alike urged the community to remember the joy the slain students brought to each other and the world, and to hold close to family and friends.

The Independent’s Josh Marcus has the story:

‘We’re gunna get justice’: Parents share memories and grief at Idaho murders vigil

911 call logs reveal sightings of blood stains, knives and ‘suspicious men’ in Moscow

Thursday 1 December 2022 18:15 , Andrea Blanco

Moscow residents have called 911 multiple times to report “suspicious” men and other disturbing incidents in the small, college town in the two weeks since four University of Idaho students were brutally stabbed to death in an off-campus home.

The Independent’s analysis of police call logs revealed chilling complaints including a man carrying a knife, a person “wearing a black ski mask”, a “male outside taking photos of the upper floors” of a home and reports from people believing that someone has tried to enter their home.

Io Dodds has the story:

911 logs reveal sightings of ‘blood stains’ and knives’ in Idaho student murders town

ICYMI: Individuals ruled out as suspects

Thursday 1 December 2022 17:45 , Andrea Blanco

Each individual so far linked to the murder investigation has now been ruled out as a potential suspect.

Moscow Police have said that the two surviving housemates who were in the home at the time of the killings and the other friends who were in the home when the 911 call was made are not considered suspects.

A man who was caught on camera with Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves at a food truck in the downtown area before they headed home and the private party who then gave the pair a ride home from the truck have also been ruled out.

Goncalves’ former long-term boyfriend, with whom she shares a pet dog Murphy, is also not being considered a suspect.

The Independent has the story:

Idaho police create more confusion over claim murders were ‘targeted’

Kaylee Goncalves died in same bed as best friend Madison Mogen

Thursday 1 December 2022 17:25 , Andrea Blanco

Steve Goncalves, whose 21-year-old daughter Kaylee Goncalves was stabbed to death back on 13 November, gave a heartbreaking speech at a vigil for the victims on Wednesday evening, where he said it gave him comfort to learn that she was with best friend Madison Mogen until the very end.

Mr Goncalves told how the “absolutely beautiful” young women first met in sixth grade and became inseparable.

“They just found each other, and every day they did homework together, they came to our house together, they shared everything,” he said.

“Then they started looking at colleges, they came here together. They eventually get into the same apartment together.

Read the full story:

Murdered Idaho student died in same bed as her best friend, father reveals

Everything we know about the murder weapon

Thursday 1 December 2022 17:00 , Andrea Blanco

Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt revealed that each victim was stabbed multiple times with a “large knife”, describing their wounds as “pretty extensive” and revealing that they bled out inside their student home.

“I’ve been a coroner for 16 years... we have had multiple [victim] murders in the past, but nothing, nothing like this,” she said.

Police have now revealed that they believe the murder weapon was a fixed-blade knife and confirmed that they had visited local stores to inquire about any recent purchases.

A local store owner previously said that officials had been especially interested in sales of a military-style Ka-Bar or “Rambo” knife.

No murder weapon has been found.

Idaho police walk back ‘targeted’ claim

Thursday 1 December 2022 16:24 , Andrea Blanco

Confusion continues to mount around the unsolved University of Idaho murders as investigators appeared to walk back their claim that one or more of the victims was “targeted” in the brutal attack and accused the local prosecutor of “miscommunication”.

On Wednesday, Moscow Police Department released a statement saying that they actually “do not currently know” if the killer specifically targeted the victims or the off-campus home on King Road that became the site of the bloodbath.

“Detectives do not currently know if the residence or any occupants were specifically targeted but continue to investigate,” the statement said.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the story:

Idaho police create more confusion over claim murders were ‘targeted’

Xana Kernodle’s obituary: ‘She passed away far too soon'

Thursday 1 December 2022 16:00 , Rachel Sharp

An obituary for Xana Kernodle, detailing how she “passed away far too soon”, was posted in local paper CDAPress on Wednesday.

“Xana Kernodle of Post Falls, Idaho, sadly passed away far too soon Nov. 13, 2022, at the age of 20,” it reads.

“Xana was born in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, at Kootenai Health Hospital on July 5, 2002. Xana grew up in Post Falls and was a talented gymnast as a child. She attended Post Falls Middle and High School, where she played volleyball, track and soccer until she graduated in 2020. During high school she worked at Texas Roadhouse and went on to attend the University of Idaho, where she majored in marketing and was an active member of Pi Beta Phi sorority and the Vandal Solutions Sales Team. When she wasn’t participating in these activities, she was working at her part-time job at Mad Greek Restaurant in Moscow, Idaho.

“Xana loved her dog, Shoeshine, enjoyed EDM music, going to concerts, spending time with her friends and going on family trips with her sister and father. When she was little she loved spending time on her grandma and grandpa’s farm and summers at the river.

“Xana was someone who was loved dearly by her family, friends and classmates. She was a very positive and outgoing person who went out of her way to make everyone feel welcome. Her desire to live life to the fullest and contagious sense of humor has made a lasting impression on all those who knew her. Xana was just starting to become the woman she was destined to be, and the world will be a lesser place without her.

“Xana is survived by her father, Jeff Kernodle; her mother, Cara Northington; sister Jazzmin; and brother Elija. She is also survived by aunts and uncles Sparky and Kim Kernodle; Elaine Wilkinson; Ken and April Kernodle; Wayne Kernodle; and many cousins, Terrance Northington, Ryan Northington, Mike Northington, Huey Northington and many other cousins.

“We will miss her very much and hope that we can all carry a piece of her vibrant spirit now and for always.”

The obituary added that a service for the four victims will be held on Friday at Real Life Ministries in Post Falls, Idaho.

Victim’s father vows to get ‘justice’ in vigil

Thursday 1 December 2022 15:40 , Rachel Sharp

Steve Goncalves, father of victim Kaylee Goncalves, vowed to get “justice” for the four victims as he spoke at a vigil held in their honour on Wednesday.

“We’re gonna get our justice,” he said. “We’re gonna figure stuff out. This community deserves that.”

The grieving father described Goncalves and her best friend Madison Mogen as “absolutely beautiful” young women who first met in sixth grade and became inseparable.

The Independent’s Josh Marcus reports on the vigil:

‘We’re gunna get justice’: Parents share memories and grief at Idaho murders vigil

Moscow police website still says murders ‘targeted’ – despite walkback

Thursday 1 December 2022 15:20 , Rachel Sharp

As of early Thursday morning, the Moscow Police Department’s website still says that the murders were “targeted” – despite officials walking back the claim on Wednesday.

Under the FAQ question for “is the public in danger?”, it reads: “Anytime there is a crime against a person, there is a potential danger to the general public. However, detectives believe these murders were targeted. As always, stay vigilant and look out for one another.”

Confusion is mounting around the unsolved murders as investigators appeared to walk back their claim that one or more of the victims was “targeted” in the brutal attack.

On Wednesday, Moscow Police Department released a statement saying that they actually “do not currently know” if the killer specifically targeted the victims or the off-campus home on King Road that became the site of the bloodbath.

“Detectives do not currently know if the residence or any occupants were specifically targeted but continue to investigate,” the statement said.

Idaho community pays tribute to victims

Thursday 1 December 2022 15:00 , Rachel Sharp

The Moscow community paid tribute to the four victims on Wednesday, with parts of the town lit up in their memories.

In one photo shared on Twitter, lights had been used to create an “I” for Idaho on the ground.

Another person shared a photo of stadium lights, writing: “Stadium lights at Glenn Field in Arco to remember the 4 University of Idaho student’s that were senselessly taken too soon. RIP Kaylee, Madison, Xana & Ethan.”

Others shared images of candles and banners on social media.

What we know and don’t know about the killer

Thursday 1 December 2022 14:40 , Rachel Sharp

What we know: Each individual so far linked to the murder investigation has now been ruled out as a potential suspect.

Moscow Police have said that the two surviving housemates who were in the home at the time of the killings and the other friends who were in the home when the 911 call was made are not considered suspects.

A man who was caught on camera with Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves at a food truck in the downtown area before they headed home and the private party who then gave the pair a ride home from the truck have also been ruled out.

Goncalves’ former long-term boyfriend, with whom she shares a pet dog Murphy, is also not being considered a suspect.

What we don’t know: Two weeks on from the murders, the killer or killers remains at large with police admitting that they still don’t have any suspects on their radar and with not a single arrest yet made in the case.

Officials are exploring the possibility that there is more than one perpetrator – but have given no further update on whether the investigation is leading them to or from that theory.

No new information on potential link to drugs

Thursday 1 December 2022 14:20 , Rachel Sharp

Police have said that there is no new information regarding any potential link between the murders and drugs.

On Tuesday, Latah County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson said that he was not aware of any evidence suggesting that drugs played a role in the killings.

Moscow Police released a statement on Wednesday, correcting the prosecutor’s comments and saying that there had been “miscommunication” between him and police.

“At this time, there is no change or new information in this case, and references otherwise would be inaccurate,” the department said.

“We ask the public to refer to the Moscow Police Department website for any updates on the investigation.”

Police address campus knife incident before murders

Thursday 1 December 2022 14:00 , Rachel Sharp

On Wednesday, Moscow Police addressed an incident involving a man with a knife which took place on the University of Idaho campus two months before the murders.

Back on 12 September, police said an argument broke out between a group of people walking on the University of Idaho bike path and a cyclist.

During the confrontation, the cyclist allegedly took out a folding knife.

The group and the cyclist both parted ways and no one was injured in the incident.

Following the quadruple murders of the students on 13 November, questions were raised about whether there could be a link between the two cases.

Moscow Police said in a statement on Wednesday that there is “no connection” between the individual with the knife and the current murder investigations.

“The cyclist turned himself in to the police. The case was investigated and misdemeanor charges were referred to the Moscow City Attorney’s Office,” the department said.

Last known movements: Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin

Thursday 1 December 2022 13:40 , Rachel Sharp

On the night of 12 November, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin had gone to a frat party at Sigma Chi – which is on Greek Row across the road from the house where the murders took place.

The young couple were seen there from 8pm to 9pm.

They returned to Kernodle’s home on King Road at around 1.45am.

It is not clear where the two victims were in this gap of almost five hours.

The victims are all believed to have died around 3am or 4am.