'We talked to them daily': Moscow police chief denies accusations of keeping victims' families 'in the dark'
This article is based on sources and MEAWW cannot verify this information independently.
MOSCOW, IDAHO: The brutal murder of four University of Idaho students on November 13 still remains unexplained, according to the Moscow police. To solve the case and find the perpetrator, the FBI and the Idaho State Police have pitched in to assist the overworked local police with processing the evidence. To maintain the case's confidentiality, the police has been withholding some information from the public and the victims' families. Subsequently, some relatives of the victims have gone on record to complain about how the police seems to be giving them very little information about the investigation.
However, the police chief of Moscow PD has now refuted the claim that families are being "left in the dark" on Wednesday, December 21. He also defended the way his department has handled the investigation into the tragic deaths of the four university students.
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The police chief, James Fry, said, "Every family wants a little bit different information, and we have a liaison with each of the families ... we talked to them daily." According to James Fry, the local prosecutor's office also has a liaison who keeps in touch with the victims' families on a regular basis.
"We pass on as much information as we can to them. As I stated, there's information that we've held back, and we know that frustrates them," Fry said, before adding, "but we asked them to be patient. We asked them to trust us and that we're going to continue to move through this until we have a completion in the case," reported NBC News.
Kaylee Goncalves's father, Steve Goncalves, had earlier complained about the Moscow Police authority, for only providing little or vague information to the family. Goncalves even described the local police as "inexperienced" and hired a private investigator to solve this murder case, as reported by MEAWW.
In addition, mounting media attention and pressure from the families of the victims have made the investigation more challenging. There is currently no hint of a breakthrough in the probe, which is still underway. Moscow police are collaborating with the FBI to look into the case, as a team of experts sifts through many hours of video that locals and business owners have submitted. Sources claim that the FBI may be able to help detectives identify the owners of the nearby phones by using cell tower data, as was previously reported.
Anyone with information about the crime or a tip about the victim's whereabouts, or a suspicious person in the area is asked to call 208-883-7180 or email tipline@ci.moscow.id.us.