Idaho university murders – live: Moscow police hunt mystery suspect after four students stabbed to death

Stacey Chapin, the mother of University of Idaho homicide victim Ethan Chapin, has pushed back against speculation about the horror stabbing that left four dead in comments to the Idaho Statesman.

Moscow Mayor Art Bettge told the New York Times in an interview on Monday that the quadruple homicide appeared to be a “crime of passion”.

Ms Chapin told the Statesman: “I don’t want people to make assumptions about our kids. It wasn’t drugs and it was definitely not some passion thing between these kids. Someone entered the house.”

Police say there is no ongoing threat to the community, but have not released any information about suspects or made any arrests.

In its first substantive information release since four University of Idaho students were found dead on Sunday, City of Moscow police said in a statement on Tuesday that an “edged weapon” was used in the homicide.

Police responded to a call for an unconscious individual just before midday on Sunday and found the bodies of Ethan Chapin, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, at an off-campus house.

Police described the homicides as an “isolated, targeted attack” and said there was “no imminent threat to the community at large”.

Autopsies are scheduled for later in the week, Moscow police said.

Officials say the students were killed between 3am and 4am on Sunday morning, just hours after one of them posted smiling photos on Instagram.

Moscow Mayor Art Bettge urged citizens not to worry for their own safety, calling the homicide of four students “a targeted, one-off situation” .

Moscow police likewise said that they did not believe there was an “ongoing community risk” based on their preliminary investigation, although no suspects had been arrested as of Monday night.

“Our heartfelt sympathies go out to each and every person affected by this incident,” the police department said.

University of Idaho students and their families are gripped with fear after hearing little from law enforcement about the horror quadruple homicide in Moscow on Sunday.

Many have taken to social media to question the lack of clear information about the stabbings of four students from town officials.

Annie Reneau, who says she is the mother of a U of I senior, wrote a lengthy Twitter thread that summed up the community’s fears.

“I’m not sure if people who aren’t directly tied to the University of Idaho in some way understand how little information students, parents and community members have gotten about the murder of 4 students in an off-campus apt two days ago,” she wrote.

“It took over 24 hrs to find out who had been killed which, okay yes, families have to be notified, obvs. But 24 hrs is a long time. Almost 48 hrs to find out how they died—nothing but ‘it’s a homicide.’ This is a small town. Murders are rare, and four students at once? WTH.

“A shelter in place order after the bodies were discovered, then lifted after an hour because the PD don’t believe there’s an ongoing threat. But no suspect. NO SUSPECT. Four students stabbed to death and no one knows who did it, but there’s no threat? What?

“Police believe it was an isolated, targeted attack. Okay, but somebody who was crazy/angry/drugged up/whatever enough to stab four people to death, even if targeted, is out there somewhere. I’m not generally paranoid, but that doesn’t sit well, does it?”

The mayor of Moscow, Idaho, has called the killing of four students there a “crime of passion”.

Art Bettge said that the authorities were still investigating what had transpired but that the case was being treated as a homicide. He added that “the overall assessment is that it’s a crime of passion”.

“With a crime of this magnitude, it’s very difficult to work through,” Mr Bettge said. He said that the police will need to piece together the mystery.

Stacey Chapin, the mother of University of Idaho homicide victim Ethan Chapin, however, has refuted the “crime of passion” angle.

Ms Chapin told the Statesman: “I don’t want people to make assumptions about our kids. It wasn’t drugs and it was definitely not some passion thing between these kids. Someone entered the house.”

Friends of the University of Idaho quadruple victims have set up fundraisers to help their families.

“Our hearts are so broken with the tragedy and loss of the U of I students,” the page organiser wrote.  

A friend of Xana Kernodle set up a separate GoFundme to help cover funeral costs for her family, which had raised more than $16,000 by Tuesday evening.

“Waking up and realising it’s a day Xana wont be in – is unbearable,” the organiser wrote.

The parents and siblings of Ethan Chapin, who was dating Kernodle, donated $1,000 to the fundraiser.

Two days after four students were found dead in an off-campus home, no arrests have been made and no suspects named.

So why are authorities insisting there is no danger to the community?

In its first substantive information release since four University of Idaho students were found dead on Sunday, City of Moscow police said in a statement on Tuesday that an “edged weapon” was used in the homicide.

Police responded to a call for an unconscious individual just before midday on Sunday and found the bodies of Ethan Chapin, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, at an off-campus house.

Police described the homicides as an “isolated, targeted attack” and said there was “no imminent threat to the community at large”.

Autopsies are scheduled for later in the week, Moscow police said.

A restaurant in Moscow, Idaho, has shut down to “process and grieve” after two servers were killed in the University of Idaho quadruple homicide.

The Mad Greek restaurant posted a moving tribute to Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen on Facebook about the “deep sadness” staff felt at losing “two of their own”.

“Xana and Maddie have been servers here for several years and brought so much joy to our restaurant and all of those they encountered. Maddie was also the face behind our social media pages.

“With this incredible loss, we have shut down to process and grieve. Our deepest sympathies go out to all of the friends and families of Xana, Maddie, Ethan and Kaylee.”