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'They don't have the resources': Former FBI agent says Moscow PD is ill-equipped to solve Idaho murders

The department has so far failed to release a profile of the killer or provide information about the possible motive behind the killings

BY VARNIKA SRIVASTAVA

PUBLISHED DEC 14, 2022

Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin and Madison Mogen were fatally stabbed on November 13 (xanakernodle/Instagram and kayleegoncalves/Instagram)

This article is based on sources and MEAWW cannot verify this information independently

MOSCOW, IDAHO: The investigation into the November 13 stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students is still ongoing. It has been one month since the heinous killings at 1122 King Road, and Moscow police have been vigorously following up on every piece of potential evidence to apprehend the killer. However, a former FBI agent has raised questions about the Moscow Police's caliber to crack the confounding case.

"I think the Moscow Police Department is in over its head. I think they're drowning," Former FBI agent Pete Yachmetz told the New York Post, adding, "They don't have the resources to properly address this type of crime." Meanwhile, local media and the victims' families have been exerting pressure on the police amid a public outcry at the slow progress of the probe.

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The investigation is still being led by the small police department, which had only about 60 employees and 37 sworn-in police officers as of 2019. The department has so far failed to release a profile of the killer, or provide more than the bare minimum of information about the case, much to the chagrin of the victims' families. Besides, baseless theories circulated by amateur sleuths on the Internet have proved a hindrance to the investigation, and police have issued a stern warning already against false information in connection to the case.

The six detectives on the force are supported by 15 uniformed employees, 13 investigators from the Idaho State Police, and 46 FBI agents. Yachmetz said, "I think it might be time for them to relinquish the lead agency designation." The former agent added, "The lead agency is the one who makes all the determinations for how the investigation progresses. Of course, coming from my background I think the Bureau might have better resources to address it."

The Moscow Police Department is investigating the crime with the help of the FBI. An army of experts is sifting through hours and hours of footage provided by homeowners and business owners in the vicinity for any leads. According to reports, with the cooperation of the FBI, investigators can also narrow down cell tower data to determine whose phones were in the vicinity.