'Killer won't leave calling cards': PI debunks theories around Idaho murders including 'skinned dog' claims
This article is based on sources and MEAWW cannot verify this information independently.
MOSCOW, IDAHO: A private investigator has slammed conspiracy theories that surfaced after four University of Idaho students were visciously murdered. In the early morning hours of November 13, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were stabbed to death in an off-campus three-story rented home. Law enforcement has yet to identify the suspect(s) in the case. Authorities have said that the gory scene where the students were killed was the “worst they’ve ever seen."
As the killer remains on the loose, police have debunked several rumors. For example, some false reports claimed the victims were tied and gagged. Bill Warner, a private investigator from Sarasota, Florida, told The US Sun that this could not have been the case as "one person would not be able to do so unless he had a firearm to hold them all at bay." As the murder weapon was a knife and not a gun, he said, "holding four people at bay does not work with a knife as several people could just run away."
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Police have also dismissed the assumption that a dog found "skinned" days before the murder could be connected to the case. Warner, too agreed, saying the killer "would not leave calling cards prior to such an attack." It was previously claimed that the killer may have used the same knife to kill and skin a couple's dog. Police said this was not related to the stabbings.
Another rumor clamed the Idaho murders could be related to two other stabbings, one that took place in Washington in 1991 and in Oregon in 2021. Police said they may "share similarities," but "there does not appear to be any evidence to support the cases are related."
However, Warner differs in his professional opinion here. "Moscow cops will never link the prior murders in Washington and Oregon ... until the perp is caught," he said, claiming "it would cause a hysteria in the community, more over they have no leads or suspects in Moscow."
Warner said there is a "possibility" that there is a "copycat serial killer who has moved on." "No law enforcement agency ever wants to tell that to the media, but I think that it is true as things continue to play out with no suspects," he said. Warner said in the past that the killer could be following in the footsteps of one of America's most prolific serial killers, Ted Bundy.
Cops also said that an incident where an argument ensued between a group of people walking on the University of Idaho bike path and a cyclist, who was seen holding a knife, was not connected to the murders. “The individual involved turned himself in, and charges were referred to the Moscow City Attorney’s Office,” police said.
Investigators have ruled out some suspects, including surviving roommates Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke, both 19. Warner agreed and said that in his opinion, the girls had "no connection to the murders". "They are lucky to be alive, from the outside looking in, the house is confusing, most people would not think to look downstairs for other occupants, especially as the killer entered the house through the 2nd floor slider and then went up to 3rd floor," he said.
Warner said the "first 48 hours were critical in solving the homicide." "As of Sunday Dec 4th it has been 408 hours since the massacre, no suspect," he said. "48 hours may not seem like much time, but for homicide detectives, it can mean the difference between a closed case and a cold case."
The Moscow Police Department has said the public must search for official releases for accurate information. “There is speculation, without factual backing, stoking community fears and spreading false facts,” it said. “We encourage referencing official releases for accurate information and updated progress.”