‘Everyone has just a little bit of fear’: Moscow town remains on edge amid unsolved Idaho murders
This article is based on sources and MEAWW cannot verify this information independently
MOSCOW, IDAHO: After the murder of four University of Idaho students, Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, in the early morning hours of November 13, the city of Moscow has been gripped by a disturbing way of life. Christmas festivities have taken a back seat in the city, and an eerie atmosphere has set in, with residents now asking for pepper spray or guns as Christmas gifts.
More than a month after the murders, there is still no suspect, no murder weapon has been found, and the motive is still a mystery. The streets are empty, as are the classrooms at the University of Idaho. Students left town after the murders, and those who left for Thanksgiving have not returned, The Guardian reports. Many left because it was "emotionally difficult" to stay on campus, according to Tanner McClain, president of Associated Students of the University of Idaho, the school's governing body of students, CNN reports.
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“I think everyone has just a little bit of fear of this scenario because they haven’t identified the perpetrator. People are alert, and it’s obviously the discussion.” a resident told CNN. Moscow police chief, James Fry, Jr, admitted that there is a possibility of a larger danger. He said at a press conference following the killings, “We do not have a suspect at this time, and that individual is still out there. We cannot say there is no threat to the community.”
Theories and threats
There are wild theories the internet sleuths have about the University of Idaho murders since the bodies were found, as previously reported by MEAWW. The victims’ families have experienced harassment and received death threats. And the Reddit forum MoscowMurders already has more than 78,000 members, according to The Guardian.
Residents, who live alone, now stay at friends’ houses and lock bedroom doors as well as exterior ones. Businesses close early with just a countable people walking late at night. Jemimah Tudi, a sophomore from India who said she no longer walks alone after dark and expects to get pepper spray for Christmas, mentioned, "I ask my friends for rides all the time." Superintendent Greg Bailey expressed the homicides have “hit everyone in the community.” “I think everyone has just a little bit of fear of this scenario because they haven’t identified the perpetrator. People are alert, and it’s obviously the discussion. We’re just having to sit back and wait until further information is available, but there’s an understanding that they can’t get all the information so that [police] can have a better chance of catching the person,” he added.
Vigil, who stays just feet away from the crime scene, “I don’t know how anyone is supposed to feel safe or go back. All of my friends have left. I don’t know how I could be safe if they haven’t caught the person who did it,” as stated by CNN. While talking further about the present scenario, Bailey Kidd, a 2019 graduate of the University of Idaho, told as reported by The Guardian, "It feels rather strange and kind of sad to be highlighted by this tragedy in our small town. You can tell everyone’s on edge.”