Idaho Police Seek White Hyundai, Public's Help in Student Murder Probe

Police investigating the fatal stabbings of four college students in Moscow, Idaho, are seeking the public's help to identify the occupants of a vehicle that could be tied to the homicides.

The Moscow Police Department on Wednesday issued a bulletin asking the public for information on a white Hyundai Elantra that was spotted close to an off-campus residence where the University of Idaho students were found dead on November 13.

"Detectives are interested in speaking with the occupant(s) of a white 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra, with an unknown license plate," the bulletin states. "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," it continues. "If you know of or own a vehicle matching this description, or know of anyone who may have been driving this vehicle on the days preceding or the day of the murders, please forward that information to the Tip Line."

Those with information on the vehicle were urged to email tipline@ci.moscow.id.us or call the tip line at 208-883-7180. The Salt Lake City, Utah, office of the FBI is also asking the public to submit information relevant to the case via a website.

Moscow police said that some might have information they do not believe is "significant" but could "be the piece of the puzzle that helps investigators solve these murders," while stressing that "no suspect has been identified and only vetted information that does not hinder the investigation will be released to the public."

Last week, police seized five vehicles that had been parked outside the house in which the students were killed, although it was unclear who owned the vehicles or whether they were in any way related to the killings.

The homicide victims—Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Ethan Chapin, 20, and Xana Kernodle, 20—were found dead in their beds after being fatally stabbed by what police believe was a fixed-blade knife. The weapon has not been recovered.

Police have released few details of the investigation to the public or to the families of the victims, explaining that doing so could come at "the expense of compromising the investigation and prosecution" regardless of any "frustration this causes."

John DeCarlo, former police chief of Branford, Connecticut, and a professor of criminal justice at the University of New Haven, previously told Newsweek that "a larger legal team" involved in the investigation, such as judges and prosecutors, could also be "regulating the flow of information to the public."

Meanwhile, internet sleuths and others have been busy speculating about the identity of any potential suspects.

Former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer recently disputed supposed "proof" that a hooded man captured on a surveillance video killed the students. Some have insisted that the unnamed man was involved despite police having already explicitly ruled him out as a suspect.

Newsweek has reached out to the Moscow Police Department for comment.