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Idaho murders: Cops slammed for 'botched' probe as 'sloppy' killer could've left country by now

A source close to the investigation said the Moscow police could have destroyed mountains of evidence at the crime scene

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

MOSCOW, IDAHO: There are growing concerns that the killer(s) behind the chilling quadruple homicide of four University of Idaho students could have escaped to another country while investigators were allegedly "asleep at the wheel."

The Moscow Police Department, which is leading the probe into the brutal slayings on November 13, has repeatedly denounced the killer or killers as being "sloppy" and leaving "a mess of evidence." The parents of one of the victims, 21-year-old Kaylee Goncalves, said police told them the crime scene was a "mess" and that the killer(s) were careless with the slayings. However, stumped investigators are yet to establish a motive or identify a suspect, and have blamed the Thanksgiving weekend holiday for their lack of leads.

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“If the killer was apparently so sloppy, why haven’t cops found him?” a furious source told Radar Online. Another insider said, “In criminal investigations, it is widely known that if authorities do not have a lead, a suspect, or an arrest within the first 48 hours, their chances of solving the case are cut in half. Those initial critical hours are a race against time to solve the case. In Idaho, we know cops failed to protect the crime scene and protect the credibility of the investigation.” They added, “If this was a targeted killing, and the perpetrator or perpetrators are not serial killers, their natural behavior would have been to flee the area. This means they could be in another state, or worse, another country, by now.”

The source noted that Moscow's proximity to Washington state could hamper investigations by forcing multiple agencies to work together in an interstate investigation. “It adds another layer of complexity,” the source insisted. As we previously reported, Goncalves and her roommates Madison Mogen, 21, Ethan Chapin, 20, and Xana Kernodle, 20, were all stabbed to death on November 13 between 3 am and 4 am local time.

There have been several reported missteps by the authorities. A garbage truck reportedly collected trash from the home before it was searched, thereby mixing it with trash from other homes. Officers also allegedly did not measure tire tracks at the crime scene until six days after the victims were found. Furthermore, they did not expand the search area to neighboring woodlands behind the house until November 22, per Radar Online.

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Some local residents, however, were concerned that the police had already "botched" the investigation. "The reality is this evidence was likely obliterated and if the cops had done things correctly, those tire marks would have been photographed, measured, and preserved, on the day when the victims were found," a source reportedly said, adding, “The time that elapsed between when the bodies were found and forensics team returned to the crime scene allowed crucial evidence to be corrupted, by weather or other activity.” Another well-placed insider reportedly said, “With no suspect, no murder weapon, and little to no leads, you have to ask the question: did police botch the investigation from the get-go?”