Idaho Murder Investigation Enters Critical Period

As police face mounting pressure to solve the horrific murders of four University of Idaho students, experts told Newsweek it's critical that investigators don't slow down over the holidays.

More than five weeks after Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Kernodle's boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, were found dead in an off-campus rental house in Moscow, police have yet to identify a suspect or make any arrests.

With police keeping a tight grip on information to preserve the integrity of the case, several questions remain unanswered.

Moscow Police Chief James Fry acknowledged on Friday that the mass exodus of students from the tiny college town—on edge since the November 13 slayings—for winter break presents a challenge for investigators.

But he has insisted that the pace of the investigation won't slow down, even with investigators working on the case taking time off themselves.

"We're giving individuals time off when they need it," he said in a video posted online. "We're augmenting other people into those spots so that the investigation continues but we're not going to stop investigating this."

Jennifer Coffindaffer, a retired FBI agent and law enforcement analyst, said it's important for investigators keep up their efforts over the holidays while a killer remains at large.

"It's critical that the investigation keep moving as there are too many investigative leads in the works to afford a hiatus," Coffindaffer told Newsweek.

The FBI will also "continue working to get the job done based on case needs," Coffindaffer said. "There is a killer that has not been apprehended and that makes this case exigent in nature."

Mary Ellen O'Toole, a former FBI profiler, said it will be important who the "new" people brought in on the investigation are and how well they are briefed.

"It is not unusual to transition people in and out of an investigation as necessary but the goal is to make it as seamless as possible so investigators are always moving forward in the investigation," O'Toole told Newsweek.

"Of course there will be a learning curve, but if the investigation is well organized and well documented, it should have a minimal impact on the case."

But O'Toole also noted that most investigators working on such cases "don't want time off."

"They want to stay involved because they know that it can break at any time," she said. "So even though it is being reported that people are taking time off and a new group is coming in, there will be original detectives and FBI agents who are likely staying on because they are so committed to the case."

Coffindaffer agreed, suggesting it's likely that investigators who do take time off over the holidays will have their leave staggered.

In law enforcement, "we work all hours, holidays, and weekends when assigned a case like this," she said.

"That's par for the course. There are too many leads that need [to be] followed and too much investigation to do to abandon their investigative objectives."

Even with people leaving town, O'Toole said police and FBI agents can locate anyone they need to interview.

"In the FBI we do that all the time... no matter if it's Christmas or any day of the week," she said.

But she noted that the "dynamics in Moscow are likely very different than they are anywhere else.

"So if someone with information about the case leaves Moscow to take a job elsewhere in the U.S. and starts a new life, they might feel less compelled to get involved. It is easier to convince oneself not to get involved when they are hundreds or thousands of miles away from where the crime occurred."

But despite concerns that evidence may be lost as time passes and people lose faith in investigators, O'Toole said the case is far from cold.

"While five weeks is a long time, this is still a relatively new investigation," she said. "It seems that new developments are coming in, new videos are popping up and every day people are submitting leads. As long as that continues, this is an active investigation."