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The Moscow Police Department in Idaho released what could be the biggest breakthrough thus far in the ongoing investigation into the fatal stabbing of four college students.
On Wednesday evening, the Moscow Police Department announced that they were interested in speaking with "the occupant(s) of a white 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra, with an unknown license plate."
"Tips and leads have led investigators to look for additional information about a vehicle being in the immediate area of the King Street residence during the early morning hours of November 13th. Investigators believe the occupant(s) of this vehicle may have critical information to share regarding this case," the Moscow Police Department said in the update.
The update from police comes as the investigation into the fatal stabbings of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Ethan Chapin, 20, and Xana Kernodle, 20, has continued for nearly a month. On November 13, officers arrived at a residence near the University of Idaho and discovered that all four victims were fatally stabbed.
Kenneth Mains, a former law enforcement official and founder of the American Investigative Society of Cold Cases (AISOCC) told Newsweek that the new information released by police "is a big revelation."
"Someone must have seen it or it was spotted on surveillance during that time when not a lot of cars are on the road. For police to release this information means it holds potential significant value to the investigation. Maybe not the suspect but potentially a witness," Mains told Newsweek.
As the investigation has continued, police have released very limited information. No suspect has been identified and a possible weapon has yet to be found. Police initially said they believed this was a targeted crime but recently said "investigators have not concluded if the target was the residence or its occupants."
Police have yet to release any information on possible DNA evidence recovered at the scene, the extent of the victim's wounds, or the order in which the victims were stabbed.
There is also a gap on the night of November 12, and police are asking for help from community members on the exact whereabouts of Chapin and Kernodle.
"Detectives continue investigating what occurred from approximately 9 p.m. on November 12th to 1:45 a.m. on November 13th, when Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle were believed to be at the Sigma Chi house on the University of Idaho Campus at 735 Nez Perce Drive. Any interactions, contacts, direction and method of travel, or anything abnormal could add context to what occurred," police said.
As the investigation has continued, the Goncalves family has expressed some frustration at the lack of information released and how police cleared some individuals very early on in the investigation, including two female housemates who seemingly slept through the murders.
"I do not feel confident," Kaylee's father Steve Goncalves said during an interview with Fox News' Fox & Friends this past weekend. "I mean, I definitely don't want to hurt them, but I have an agenda. And I think it's pretty clear it's these two girls and that's what I'm working for. And I'm not going to let that story fall apart just because they don't want wanted posters, you know, on their next rush of students that come into town."
Newsweek previously reached out to the Moscow Police Department for comment.
About the writer
Matthew Impelli is a Newsweek staff writer based in New York. His focus is reporting social issues and crime. In ... Read more