Idaho Murders Spark Flood of Theories About Killer

As the investigation into the fatal stabbing of four college students in Idaho has continued, many have posed theories about a possible suspect.

Last month, officers with the Moscow Police Department responded to a home located near the University of Idaho and discovered Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Ethan Chapin, 20, and Xana Kernodle, 20, fatally stabbed.

As of Tuesday, the Moscow Police Department has yet to identify a suspect or person of interest in the case, which has prompted an array of different theories across social media.

In a recent YouTube video, Moscow Police Captain Roger Lanier spoke about the investigation and said rumors and speculation on social media have frustrated detectives.

"Over the past four weeks, rumors and speculation has led members of the public to provide tips based on rumors rather than official information provided about the case," police said in a press release on Tuesday.

Newsweek has compiled a list of some of the theories about a possible suspect below.

Targeted:

Early on in the investigation, police said that they believe this crime was targeted; however, they have since changed their tone. In the press release on Tuesday, police said that while they have not changed their "belief" that this was a targeted crime, they noted that "investigators have not concluded if the target was the residence or its occupants."

Many online theories have suggested that one of the victims was targeted, while others have disagreed and have said a different victim was the target.

Car Seen Near Scene:

Last week, police released images of a 2011-2013 white Hyundai Elantra that they believe was near the residence around the time of the stabbings.

"We're looking for that car because we believe, through our investigation, that that car was in the area during the time of the murders," Lanier said on Monday. "And we also believe that the occupant or occupants may have seen something—they may not know they have seen something."

Man Seen in Food Truck Video:

Earlier in the investigation, police released surveillance footage showing Mogen and Goncalves at a food truck a few hours before the stabbings occurred. In the footage, a hooded man could be seen, which many believed could be a person of interest in the crime. However, the Moscow Police Department previously said that the individual seen in the footage is not believed to be involved in the crime.

Stalker:

Amid the investigation, there has been a copious amount of online chatter that Goncalves had a stalker, prompting many to believe that this individual was the one who carried out the crime. Initially, police said they were unable to verify these reports, but last week they released new information about a potential stalker.

"In mid-October, two males were seen inside a local business; they parted ways, and one male appeared to follow Kaylee inside the business and as she exited to walk toward her car. The male turned away, and it did not appear he made any contact with her," police said.

"Based on available information, detectives believe this was an isolated incident and not an ongoing pattern of stalking. No evidence suggests the two males were involved in the murders," police added.

Knowledge of Home:

While speaking with Newsweek earlier this month, former FBI profiler Mary Ellen O'Toole said that the person who committed this crime had likely been inside that specific home before.

"This is an offender who has been inside of other people's homes before, for whatever reasons, not invited...they are just comfortable breaking into somebody's home and being inside there" O'Toole said.

"When you murder four people, you're gonna get in and out pretty quickly, and so in order to do that, and lowering your own risk level, you have to have some knowledge of that place," she added.