Idaho murders - live: Students’ autopsies released as surviving roommates may be ‘key’ to solving case
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Four friends were killed after returning home from nights out in Moscow, Idaho
Four friends were killed after returning home from nights out in Moscow, Idaho
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Autopsy findings have been released for the four University of Idaho students murdered in an off-campus home, officially ruling their deaths homicides by stabbing.
Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt confirmed that each victim suffered multiple stab wounds with “a larger knife”, describing their injuries as “pretty extensive”.
DNA samples have been taken from the crime scene as the hunt for the killer or killers continues, with no suspects named and no arrests made five days into the investigation.
Ethan Chapin, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, were found dead inside a home in the small college town of Moscow, Idaho, at around midday on Sunday.
Police were called to the home to a report of an unconscious individual and arrived to find the horror crime scene. Two surviving roommates were in the home at the time of the killings and were still there when officers arrived.
Idaho State Police spokesman Aaron Snell said that the two female students could be “the key to this whole thing”.
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Four friends posted photos enjoying Idaho college life. Hours later they were killed. What happened?
University of Idaho issued ‘knife threat’ warning weeks before four students stabbed to death
University of Idaho murders: Police search for Ka-Bar knife in stabbing of four students
Police probe ‘Twitch livestream’ that shows Idaho university students at food truck hours before their murder
Timeline: What we know so far about the murder of four University of Idaho students
Idaho University murders:
More than one killer ‘possible’, says official
Killer or killers still at large
Idaho police backtrack and now admit ‘there is a threat’ to public
Police search for Ka-Bar knife as possible murder weapon
Footage captures two victims at food truck hours before murders
Two roommates were home at time of killings
Victim’s boyfriend’s ‘world has been turned upside down’
The boyfriend of one of the murdered University of Idaho students has had his world “turned upside down” following her brutal slaying – which came just days before the young couple planned to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday together.
Madison Mogen, 21, had been in a relationship with fellow Idaho university student Jake Schriger for around a year and the pair often posted loving photos of each other on their social media pages.
His mother Stacy Schriger told The New York Post that the young couple were like “peanut butter and jelly”. Now the grieving boyfriend’s “world has been turned upside down,” she said.
Mogen and Mr Schriger were planning to go to Ms Schriger’s home for Thanksgiving later this month, she added.
“We were expecting her for Thanksgiving,” she said. “Whenever we talked on the phone, she always said, ‘I love you.’”
Neighbour heard no commotion on night of killings
A neighbour of the college students found slain in their six-bedroom home in Moscow, Idaho, has revealed that they didn’t hear any commotion from the home on the night of the murders.
Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, lived together with two other students in the rental property close to the univeristy campus.
Dakota Sparks, 21, who lives on the same road, told The New York Post that she and her boyfriend were up late on Saturday night and into Sunday morning but noticed nothing out of the ordinary coming from the home.
“I didn’t go to bed until 2 or 3 and I didn’t hear anything,” she said. She added that she left the house at 11.45am the next day – minutes before the 911 call was placed – and again noticed nothing suspicious.
“For us, it was shock. We wondered if we had just turned our heads and looked, could we have helped?” she said.
‘It’s personal’: Coroner says about autopsy
The autopsies for the four University of Idaho students murdered in their college home have revealed that the killings were “personal”, according to the coroner.
Autopsy findings were released on Thursday, officially ruling the victims’ deaths homicides by stabbing.
Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt told local outlet Idaho News that the findings revealed: “It’s personal.”
From the start of the investigation, police have said the attack was “targeted” – but have not made any arrests or identified any suspects in the case.
Sister of Idaho university victim begs students to ‘leave’ town: ‘Grades are less important than your lives’
The grieving sister of one of the University of Idaho victims stabbed to death in a brutal knife attack has begged other students to “leave” the college town, telling them that “your grades are severely less important than your lives”.
Kaylee Goncalves’s sister Aubrie Goncalves issued an impassioned plea on her Instagram page, warning students in the small town of Moscow, Idaho, that they are not safe while her sibling’s “sicko” killer remains at large.
“To the students of the University of Idaho that are still staying around campus, leave,” she wrote.
“Your grades are severely less important than your lives. I wish all the students of U of I safety and peace. You guys are not safe until this sicko is found.”
The Independent ’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:
Idaho university victim’s sister begs students to ‘leave’ town as killer is at large
Kaylee Goncalves’s sister Aubrie Goncalves issued an impassioned plea on her Instagram page, warning students in the small town of Moscow, Idaho, that they are not safe while her sibling’s “sicko” killer remains at large
Victim’s father says daughter fought killer to the end
The father of one of the University of Idaho students murdered in her college home has said that his daughter fought her killer to the very end.
Jeffrey Kernodle told CBS5 that the autopsy findings showed that Xana Kernodle, 20, tried to fight off the person who killed her, her boyfriend and two friends.
“Bruises, torn by the knife. She’s a tough kid. Whatever she wanted to do, she could do it,” he said.
Mr Kernodle described his daughter as a “tough kid” who “didn’t really worry about the drama and stuff that much”.
“She was never into that. She just liked having fun. Never about materialistic things,” he said.
“She was, all the time, always with her friends.”
Victims killed with ‘large knife'
The four victims killed in Sunday’s horror attack were stabbed multiple times with a “large knife”, according to authorities.
The murder weapon used in the brutal slayings was not found on the scene and is yet to be recovered five days on.
Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt said that – based on the extent of the victims’ wounds – the autopsies determined “a bigger knife” was used in the attack.
Investigators are hunting for a military-style knife thought to be the murder weapon and are now exploring the possibility that more than one killer is responsible for the killings.
Over the last few days, police officers have come knocking at a local home improvement store to inquire about potential sales of a Ka-Bar knife – as they continue to try to locate the murder weapon.
Scott Jutte, the general manager of Moscow Building Supply, revealed to the Idaho Statesman that officers have turned up multiple times but that he has been unable to help as the store does not stock those knives.
Ka-Bar knives typically have a six inch-long blade with a smooth edge on one side and a serrated edge on the other. They became popular with the US military after first being adopted by the US Marines during the Second World War. Today, they are popular tactical-style knives for outdoor enthusiasts. While Ka-Bar is actually the name for the brand Ka-Bar Knives Inc, the name is now used to describe any knife of a similar blade pattern.
Mr Jutte described the blades as being “similar to the knife Rambo has” – referring to the Sylvester Stallone character – describing it as “more of a combat knife” whereas the store stocks mainly hunting knives.
Officials don’t know who was attacked first
Officials are still trying to piece together the timeline for what exactly happened inside the home when four students were stabbed to death in a violent attack.
Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt told NBC News that it was not possible to determine from the autopsies the order in which the four victims were attacked but officials are using “other text messages and other technology” to try to build up a timeline.
The autopsies confirmed that the victims were killed “early in the morning, sometime after 2 am, but still during the night,” she said.
On the night of Saturday 12 November, Chapin and Kernodle had been at a campus party while Mogen and Goncalves spent the night at a bar in town.
They are all believed to have returned to the property sometime after 1.45am.
Officials previously said the victims were stabbed to death with an “edged weapon such as a knife” at around 3 or 4am on Sunday morning.
Twitch footage, seen by The Independent , captured Mogen and Goncalves stopping by a local food truck for a late-night bit to eat – not long before the murders unfolded.
The footage shows the two best friends arriving at the food truck at around 1.41am, where they stayed for around 10 minutes ordering food, laughing, and chatting casually to other students at the food truck.
An unidentified man appears to arrive at the truck with them but Mogen and Goncalves leave the area alone.
The two best friends leave together, walking off at around 1.51am.
It is not clear if they got a taxi or walked home after this or if they went to another location. The truck was just over a mile walk from the victims’ home. If Mogen and Goncalves had walked, it would have taken around 20 to 25 minutes.
The unidentified man, who was chatting to another student at the time, was seen in the footage gesturing at the two women as they walk off, before he turns and walks off in the opposite direction to the two women.
Police confirmed that they are looking to speak to the other people in the footage. Neither the man nor anyone else in the footage has not been identified as a suspect or person of interest in the case.
Moscow admit there is a threat to the public
Officials in the small college town of Moscow had previously insisted that there was “no imminent threat to the community at large”, despite identifying no suspects.
On Wednesday, Moscow police chief James Fry admitted that the killer could still be at large, partially walking back the department’s previous statements.
Mr Fry said: “That’s kind of unknown... we still believe it’s a targeted attack, but the reality is, there’s still a person out there who committed horrible, horrible crimes.
“So there is a threat out there still, possibly. We don’t know it’s going to be to anybody else. But we all have to be aware of our surroundings and make sure that we’re watching out for each other.”
DNA samples at crime scene could lead to killer
DNA samples have been collected from the crime scene in the hope that they could lead to the killer or killers responsible for Sunday’s horror attack.
Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt told NBC News on Thursday that DNA samples and nail clipping were taken and sent for testing as part of the probe.
“There were nail clippings that were taken, and other ones that are being sent off, and so that will be processed,” she said.
Ms Mabbutt said it was “possible” that the tests could turn up DNA from people besides the victims.
This comes as the hunt for the killer or killers continues, with no suspects named and no arrests made five days into the investigation.
Xana Kernodle is remembered as ‘positive and funny’ by her sister
Jazzmin Kernodle told the Associated Press that her sister would light up every room she walked into.
“You rarely get to meet someone like Xana,” Ms Kernodle said. “She was so positive, funny and was loved by everyone who met her.”
Xana Kernodle went to high school in the city of Post Falls. She was majoring in marketing and was a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority.
Ethan Chapin and Xana were longtime friends and had started dating over the summer. He was also killed in the attack.
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1 /1 Autopsies released as roommates may be ‘key’ to solving Idaho murders
Autopsies released as roommates may be ‘key’ to solving Idaho murders
Ethan Chapin, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, were found dead on Sunday
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Four friends were killed after returning home from nights out in Moscow, Idaho. Four friends were killed after returning home from nights out in Moscow, Idaho. Article bookmarked. Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Sign up to our free US news bulletin sent straight to your inbox each weekday morning. Sign up to our free morning US email news bulletin. Thanks for signing up to the US Morning Headlines email. Autopsy findings have been released for the four University of Idaho students murdered in an off-campus home, officially ruling their deaths homicides by stabbing. Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt confirmed that each victim suffered multiple stab wounds with “a larger knife”, describing their injuries as “pretty extensive”. DNA samples have been taken from the crime scene as the hunt for the killer or killers continues, with no suspects named and no arrests made five days into the investigation. Ethan Chapin, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, were found dead inside a home in the small college town of Moscow, Idaho, at around midday on Sunday. Police were called to the home to a report of an unconscious individual and arrived to find the horror crime scene. Two surviving roommates were in the home at the time of the killings and were still there when officers arrived. Idaho State Police spokesman Aaron Snell said that the two female students could be “the key to this whole thing”. Recommended. Four friends posted photos enjoying Idaho college life. Hours later they were killed. What happened? University of Idaho issued ‘knife threat’ warning weeks before four students stabbed to death. University of Idaho murders: Police search for Ka-Bar knife in stabbing of four students. Police probe ‘Twitch livestream’ that shows Idaho university students at food truck hours before their murder. Timeline: What we know so far about the murder of four University of Idaho students. Idaho University murders: More than one killer ‘possible’, says official. Killer or killers still at large. Idaho police backtrack and now admit ‘there is a threat’ to public. Police search for Ka-Bar knife as possible murder weapon. Footage captures two victims at food truck hours before murders. Two roommates were home at time of killings. Victim’s boyfriend’s ‘world has been turned upside down’ The boyfriend of one of the murdered University of Idaho students has had his world “turned upside down” following her brutal slaying – which came just days before the young couple planned to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday together. Madison Mogen, 21, had been in a relationship with fellow Idaho university student Jake Schriger for around a year and the pair often posted loving photos of each other on their social media pages. His mother Stacy Schriger told The New York Post that the young couple were like “peanut butter and jelly”. Now the grieving boyfriend’s “world has been turned upside down,” she said. Mogen and Mr Schriger were planning to go to Ms Schriger’s home for Thanksgiving later this month, she added. “We were expecting her for Thanksgiving,” she said. “Whenever we talked on the phone, she always said, ‘I love you.’” Neighbour heard no commotion on night of killings. A neighbour of the college students found slain in their six-bedroom home in Moscow, Idaho, has revealed that they didn’t hear any commotion from the home on the night of the murders. Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, lived together with two other students in the rental property close to the univeristy campus. Dakota Sparks, 21, who lives on the same road, told The New York Post that she and her boyfriend were up late on Saturday night and into Sunday morning but noticed nothing out of the ordinary coming from the home. “I didn’t go to bed until 2 or 3 and I didn’t hear anything,” she said. She added that she left the house at 11.45am the next day – minutes before the 911 call was placed – and again noticed nothing suspicious. “For us, it was shock. We wondered if we had just turned our heads and looked, could we have helped?” she said. ‘It’s personal’: Coroner says about autopsy. The autopsies for the four University of Idaho students murdered in their college home have revealed that the killings were “personal”, according to the coroner. Autopsy findings were released on Thursday, officially ruling the victims’ deaths homicides by stabbing. Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt told local outlet Idaho News that the findings revealed: “It’s personal.” From the start of the investigation, police have said the attack was “targeted” – but have not made any arrests or identified any suspects in the case. Sister of Idaho university victim begs students to ‘leave’ town: ‘Grades are less important than your lives’ The grieving sister of one of the University of Idaho victims stabbed to death in a brutal knife attack has begged other students to “leave” the college town, telling them that “your grades are severely less important than your lives”. Kaylee Goncalves’s sister Aubrie Goncalves issued an impassioned plea on her Instagram page, warning students in the small town of Moscow, Idaho, that they are not safe while her sibling’s “sicko” killer remains at large. “To the students of the University of Idaho that are still staying around campus, leave,” she wrote. “Your grades are severely less important than your lives. I wish all the students of U of I safety and peace. You guys are not safe until this sicko is found.” The Independent ’s Rachel Sharp has the full story: Idaho university victim’s sister begs students to ‘leave’ town as killer is at large. Kaylee Goncalves’s sister Aubrie Goncalves issued an impassioned plea on her Instagram page, warning students in the small town of Moscow, Idaho, that they are not safe while her sibling’s “sicko” killer remains at large. Victim’s father says daughter fought killer to the end. The father of one of the University of Idaho students murdered in her college home has said that his daughter fought her killer to the very end. Jeffrey Kernodle told CBS5 that the autopsy findings showed that Xana Kernodle, 20, tried to fight off the person who killed her, her boyfriend and two friends. “Bruises, torn by the knife. She’s a tough kid. Whatever she wanted to do, she could do it,” he said. Mr Kernodle described his daughter as a “tough kid” who “didn’t really worry about the drama and stuff that much”. “She was never into that. She just liked having fun. Never about materialistic things,” he said. “She was, all the time, always with her friends.” Victims killed with ‘large knife' The four victims killed in Sunday’s horror attack were stabbed multiple times with a “large knife”, according to authorities. The murder weapon used in the brutal slayings was not found on the scene and is yet to be recovered five days on. Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt said that – based on the extent of the victims’ wounds – the autopsies determined “a bigger knife” was used in the attack. Investigators are hunting for a military-style knife thought to be the murder weapon and are now exploring the possibility that more than one killer is responsible for the killings. Over the last few days, police officers have come knocking at a local home improvement store to inquire about potential sales of a Ka-Bar knife – as they continue to try to locate the murder weapon. Scott Jutte, the general manager of Moscow Building Supply, revealed to the Idaho Statesman that officers have turned up multiple times but that he has been unable to help as the store does not stock those knives. Ka-Bar knives typically have a six inch-long blade with a smooth edge on one side and a serrated edge on the other. They became popular with the US military after first being adopted by the US Marines during the Second World War. Today, they are popular tactical-style knives for outdoor enthusiasts. While Ka-Bar is actually the name for the brand Ka-Bar Knives Inc, the name is now used to describe any knife of a similar blade pattern. Mr Jutte described the blades as being “similar to the knife Rambo has” – referring to the Sylvester Stallone character – describing it as “more of a combat knife” whereas the store stocks mainly hunting knives. Officials don’t know who was attacked first. Officials are still trying to piece together the timeline for what exactly happened inside the home when four students were stabbed to death in a violent attack. Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt told NBC News that it was not possible to determine from the autopsies the order in which the four victims were attacked but officials are using “other text messages and other technology” to try to build up a timeline. The autopsies confirmed that the victims were killed “early in the morning, sometime after 2 am, but still during the night,” she said. On the night of Saturday 12 November, Chapin and Kernodle had been at a campus party while Mogen and Goncalves spent the night at a bar in town. They are all believed to have returned to the property sometime after 1.45am. Officials previously said the victims were stabbed to death with an “edged weapon such as a knife” at around 3 or 4am on Sunday morning. Twitch footage, seen by The Independent , captured Mogen and Goncalves stopping by a local food truck for a late-night bit to eat – not long before the murders unfolded. The footage shows the two best friends arriving at the food truck at around 1.41am, where they stayed for around 10 minutes ordering food, laughing, and chatting casually to other students at the food truck. An unidentified man appears to arrive at the truck with them but Mogen and Goncalves leave the area alone. The two best friends leave together, walking off at around 1.51am. It is not clear if they got a taxi or walked home after this or if they went to another location. The truck was just over a mile walk from the victims’ home. If Mogen and Goncalves had walked, it would have taken around 20 to 25 minutes. The unidentified man, who was chatting to another student at the time, was seen in the footage gesturing at the two women as they walk off, before he turns and walks off in the opposite direction to the two women. Police confirmed that they are looking to speak to the other people in the footage. Neither the man nor anyone else in the footage has not been identified as a suspect or person of interest in the case. Moscow admit there is a threat to the public. Officials in the small college town of Moscow had previously insisted that there was “no imminent threat to the community at large”, despite identifying no suspects. On Wednesday, Moscow police chief James Fry admitted that the killer could still be at large, partially walking back the department’s previous statements. Mr Fry said: “That’s kind of unknown... we still believe it’s a targeted attack, but the reality is, there’s still a person out there who committed horrible, horrible crimes. “So there is a threat out there still, possibly. We don’t know it’s going to be to anybody else. But we all have to be aware of our surroundings and make sure that we’re watching out for each other.” DNA samples at crime scene could lead to killer. DNA samples have been collected from the crime scene in the hope that they could lead to the killer or killers responsible for Sunday’s horror attack. Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt told NBC News on Thursday that DNA samples and nail clipping were taken and sent for testing as part of the probe. “There were nail clippings that were taken, and other ones that are being sent off, and so that will be processed,” she said. Ms Mabbutt said it was “possible” that the tests could turn up DNA from people besides the victims. This comes as the hunt for the killer or killers continues, with no suspects named and no arrests made five days into the investigation. Xana Kernodle is remembered as ‘positive and funny’ by her sister. Jazzmin Kernodle told the Associated Press that her sister would light up every room she walked into. “You rarely get to meet someone like Xana,” Ms Kernodle said. “She was so positive, funny and was loved by everyone who met her.” Xana Kernodle went to high school in the city of Post Falls. She was majoring in marketing and was a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority. Ethan Chapin and Xana were longtime friends and had started dating over the summer. He was also killed in the attack. Register for free to continue reading. Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism. By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists. {{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} By clicking ‘Create my account’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply. Already have an account? sign in. By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply. Register for free to continue reading. Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism. By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists. {{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} By clicking ‘Create my account’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply. Already have an account? sign in. By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply. More about. 1 /1 Autopsies released as roommates may be ‘key’ to solving Idaho murders. Autopsies released as roommates may be ‘key’ to solving Idaho murders. Ethan Chapin, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, were found dead on Sunday. Supplied. Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Most popular. Popular videos. Sponsored Features.