More than a week after four University of Idaho students were stabbed to death in a Moscow residence, no suspects have been identified but police released some new details about the 911 call that first brought officers to the scene Nov. 13.
According to the Moscow Police Department, the two surviving roommates at the King Road residence where the crime took place summoned friends because they believed one of the victims on the second-floor had passed out and was not waking up.
A 911 call was made at 11:58 a.m. on a cellphone belonging to one of the roommates requesting aid for an unconscious person. The call was made inside the residence.
“Multiple people talked with the 911 dispatcher before a Moscow Police officer arrived at the location,” the police said in a statement. “Officers entered the residence and found the four victims on the second and third floors.”
Police do not believe anybody in the residence at the time of this 911 call is involved in the stabbing deaths of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves.
In the past several days, police have ruled out several people as suspects.
A male who received several phone calls from Mogen and Goncalves in the early morning hours of Nov. 13 isn’t a suspect. Neither is a male who was seen in surveillance footage of the Grub Truck on Main Street standing near Goncalves and Mogen a few hours before they were killed.
The police have stated the male who drove Mogen and Goncalves to the King Road residence that morning is not a suspect.
On Monday, the Moscow Police Department revealed that a dog was also at the residence the night of the murders. That dog was turned over to animal services and then released to a responsible party.
The department also addressed a rumor that the homicides are somehow connected to an incident that occurred last month in which a couple’s dog was found skinned in Moscow.
“Detectives are aware of a Latah County Sheriff’s Office incident of the report of a skinned dog and have determined it is unrelated to this incident,” the statement said. “Contact Latah County Sheriff’s Office for further details.”
Authorities are planning to hold a news conference about the case at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the UI ICCU Arena. It will be livestreamed at youtu.be/bXEo-AMZbkg.
During a Sunday news conference, Moscow Police Chief James Fry said that as police search for a suspect, they are looking “everywhere that evidence would lead us.” He could not say whether the killer is still in Moscow or elsewhere.
UI President Scott Green said some students will choose to complete the fall semester remotely until the suspect is in custody, while others want to come back to campus. The university asked instructors to prepare for both sets of students. The school’s official policy will be announced this week, he said.
A funeral was held for Chapin on Monday in Mount Vernon, Wash.
Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.
