Hapless police appeals for PUBLIC HELP in solving brutal murder of University of Idaho students
MOSCOW, IDAHO: Hapless Idaho police have appealed for public help in the gruesome stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students that remain unsolved 10 days later. Victims Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Ethan Chapin, 20; Madison Mogen, 21; and Xana Kernodle, 20; were murdered in their home while their two other roommates Bethany Funke and Dylan Mortensen slept in the other rooms and were not harmed in the attack.
In the face of growing fear, police allege in a press conference on Wednesday, November 23, that they are "doing plenty behind the scenes", despite having no suspects, no murder weapon, and no leads. Police are also refusing to share details about the case that has "shaken the community." The murders transpired at a home near the University of Idaho campus that had six bedrooms, with two on each floor. The police said the victims were found dead on the second and third floors, while the surviving roommates had lain asleep in the basement during the attack.
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Authorities do not believe the surviving roommates are persons of interest and are desperately figuring out a motive for the "targeted" attack. The police have also not revealed the 911 caller's identity but have confirmed it is not the suspect killer. The victims who were stabbed to death multiple times around 3 and 4 am were not tied up and gagged and there was no sign of sexual assault, said police. Chief James Fry of the Moscow Police Department said investigators still did not understand how the surviving roommates slept through the killings. “I don’t even know that information at this point in time,” he said at a news conference. “That’s why we’re continuing to investigate,” reported Daily Mail.
The police have ruled out the following suspect, the young man who was seen with Kaylee and Maddie in a video from a food truck an hour before the killings. Kaylee's ex-boyfriend Jack DuCoer and the uber driver who drove Kaylee and Maddie back home. The police have also not found strong evidence on the grounds that Kaylee had a stalker. "There are an awful lot of efforts going on behind the scenes - a lot goes on behind the scenes that can't be discussed," the police said at the press conference.
"We're not willing to sacrifice speed for quality. We collected 103 pieces of evidence, we took approximately 4,000 photographs, we've conducted 3D scans of the residence, we've processed over 1,000 total tips and conducted 150 interviews..." "I hope that gives a perception of just how complex this investigation is," Col Wills said. Cap Lanier added: "We have the integrity of the investigation to preserve." "Releasing [what we know] may or may not flood us with a lot of information that's not relevant." "To be honest, you're going to have to trust us," he said.
Former medical examiner Joseph Scott Morgan suggested the killer may have known the four students as there were no signs of forced entry at home. "You begin to think, was the perpetrator known so that the victim would let their guard down and open the door for them?" he said. "Or was someone waiting for them back at the apartment and then essentially attacked them when they walked in?" He also suggested that the killer would have to be familiar with the residency to know a spot to lay in wait.