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Ethan Chapin's unidentified 'best friend' dialed 911 after finding Idaho students dead, NOT Dylan Mortensen

The friend discovered Ethan Chapin dead in bed with his partner Xana Kernodle and even went so far as to check his pulse before dialing 911

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

MOSCOW, IDAHO: The best friend of one of the murdered University of Idaho students discovered his friend died from a knife wound in bed and dialed 911 and it was not one of the two surviving housemates. According to reports made public on Wednesday, a close friend discovered Ethan Chapin dead in bed with his girlfriend Xana Kernodle. The friend even went so far as to check Chapin's pulse before calling 911.

According to earlier reports, Dylan Mortensen, 21, who together with Bethany Funke survived the attack, used his phone to alert the police over eight hours after the early-morning murders, as reported by New York Post. 

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Who is this 'best friend'?

The identity of Chapin's close friend was concealed by NewsNation but said they made the call on Mortensen's phone. On the night of the killings, Mortensen had a close encounter with the murderer. Just after 4 am, she spotted a "figure clad in black attire and a mask" strolling past her in the direction of the house's back entrance. According to accounts, Mortensen was in shock following the incident, thus it took another eight hours before the police were alerted.

According to an earlier NewsNation report, Mortensen apparently opened her door and yelled “calm down, you’re being loud!” and “I’m trying to sleep!” as the murders were happening. She thought they were having a party.

Authorities have also been informed by the surviving roommate that just after 4 am on the night of the murders, she saw a "figure clad in black clothing and a mask" strolling by her towards the home's back exit. A police affidavit reads: “Mortensen described the figure as 5′ 10″ or taller, male, not very muscular, but athletically built with bushy eyebrows. The male walked past [her] as she stood in a ‘frozen shock phase.’" It adds, “The male walked towards the back sliding glass door. Mortensen locked herself in her room after seeing the male.”

"She was scared to death, and rightly so," said Shanon Gray, a lawyer for victim Kaylee Goncalves' family to Fox News. "This guy had just murdered four people in the home."

An Idaho law enforcement source told New York Post that detectives were uncertain whether Mortensen and his remaining roommate Bethany Funke's failure to inform authorities was "an issue of intoxication, or of fear." Both were never regarded as potential suspects in the investigation.

Friend Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, were both killed on November 13 in a stabbing at their off-campus house in Moscow, Idaho, along with Chapin and Kernodle, both 20. Bryan Kohberger, a PhD candidate at the nearby Washington State University Pullman, was apprehended in December following a multi-state manhunt and charged with the quadruple murder. He has said he would enter a not-guilty plea when he is arraigned later this year, though.

'Feel sorry for both surviving roommates'

People were quick to comment on social media following the new rep[ort with one commenting, "I feel sorry for both surviving roommates. I can't imagine the trauma they're going through and how this will change their lives forever. People need to have more compassion because we'd never know how we would react in that situation." Another said, "I don’t understand some friends entered the house and came over to check on them before Dylan who is in the house did? I don’t understand." A third comment said, "The surviving roommates have so much trauma and grief they will carry for the rest of their lives and watching people judge and tear them apart has been awful. All those mean comments are adding to everything DM has to carry, why can’t people get that through their heads." "Not judging I just want to know like, did Dylan and Bethany just not go upstairs at all? Maybe out of fear from the night prior?" said a fourth. A fifth tweeted, "Good luck to Ethan’s best friend. I doubt it will be hard to find out who he is and I’m sure all of the web sleuths and shady media outlets will be posting deep dives of his entire life for content. All of that in addition to his grieving. What a nightmare."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.