Parents of Slain Idaho College Students Share Legacies of Son, Daughters

Family members of the University of Idaho students slain this month were surrounded by campus and community members on Wednesday at a vigil to honor the students' lives.

On November 13, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were found fatally stabbed in their beds inside an off-campus house in Moscow, Idaho. As of Wednesday night, police had not identified a suspect in the case.

The parents of Goncalves, Mogen and Chapin attended the vigil hosted on the university's campus at 6 p.m. Mountain Time. Several other vigils were held at the same time across Idaho, including at Boise State University.

Chapin's mother, Stacy, was the first of the family members to take the stage. Her son, Ethan, was a triplet and attended the University of Idaho with his two siblings, Hunter and Maizie.

"What I want you to know is that our family is no different than probably all of your families," Chapin said, sharing stories of some of the Chapins' favorite family activities.

"And for all of the things that I've listed and the times that I haven't mentioned, we are eternally grateful that we spent so much time with him," she continued. "And I want to remind you, that that's the most important message that we have for you and your families, is to make sure that you spend as much time as possible with those people because time is precious and it's something you can't get back."

Stephen Goncalves, Kaylee's father, took the stage next at the vigil, sharing that Kaylee and Mogen were best friends and had been close since the sixth grade, traveling the same life path together right up until their final moments.

"It's like a book," he continued. "It's like some kind of terrible chapter, but there's beauty in it. And we're gonna get our justice. We're gonna figure this stuff out, this community deserves that."

Mogen's father, Ben Mogen, shared that his daughter was his and his wife's only child, adding that when he would meet new people, "the first thing I'd say is, well, I have this daughter." He said Madison loved going to see live music and that the two of them had many fond memories attending concerts together.

"It really means a lot, all the love and support that everyone out there is showing through this has just been amazing," Mogen told the gathering.

"I've heard from people I haven't thought about or heard from in 30 years and yeah, just to see how good people can be when something terrible happens," he added. "They really make you feel loved and supported when it's important."

Kernodle's family was unable to attend the vigil, but university Dean of Students Blaine Eckles shared that the junior was honored by many of her sorority sisters in the crowd.

Eckles opened the ceremony with a few words of encouragement for the campus community and many others impacted by the killings.

"What you are feeling is real," the dean said. "The sadness, the confusion, the worry and the anxiety. And it's OK to have those feelings. I have them too. We all do. This is an incredibly painful time ... But as I said, we will go through this together. Out of dark times, light can be found in the support we provide to one another."

University President Scott Green and Idaho Governor Brad Little were also at the remembrance.

According to a report from CNN, Idaho state police added patrol units on campus in preparation of the vigil. Several community members were concerned that the killer would attend the ceremony, but Moscow police acknowledged they were "aware of this concern and we continue to investigate any and all potential aspects of the case."

Newsweek has reached out to the university for comment.