Moscow police provide update on Idaho murders, four weeks after the homicides
Moscow Captain Roger Lanier provides an update on the University of Idaho murders, including sifting through tips, re-interviewing past subjects, and focus on the white Hyundai Elantra. (Moscow Police Department)
Idaho police say they want "more than an arrest" in the nearly month-long-old, unsolved quadruple murder of four students near the University of Idaho campus on Nov. 13.
Moscow authorities are still working to determine who killed the four college students – Ethan Chapin, 20; Xana Kernodle, 20; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; and Madison Mogen, 21 – while they were sleeping in their off-campus home between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. on Nov. 13, a Sunday.
The Moscow Police Department (MPD) is "keeping investigation details safe" and not releasing certain information to the public so as not to tip off the killer," Robbie Johnson, the public information officer currently representing MPD, told Fox News Digital.
"It is what we must do to preserve the integrity of the investigation," Johnson added. "We want more than an arrest. We want justice. It takes time to do it right."
UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO MURDERS TIMELINE: WHAT WE KNOW
The belongings of the victims of the Univeristy of Idaho quadruple homicide are removed from the house in Moscow, Idaho, Wednesday, December 7, 2022. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
MPD Cpt. Roger Lanier similarly said in a Monday video that police "want more than just an arrest."
"We want a conviction," he esaid.
POLICE RECEIVE ‘AMAZING’ NUMBER OF TIPS RELATED TO MYSTERY CAR SPOTTED NEAR CRIME SCENE
In a Monday press release, MPD said investigators continue to seek information about a white, 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra that was spotted in the immediate area of the King Road residence during the early morning hours of November 13th." The FBI is prioritizing and vetting tips related to the vehicle, MPD said. Police believe the occupant(s) of the vehicle on that morning may have information that is pertinent to MPD's investigation.
Moscow, Idaho detectives are interested in speaking with the occupant(s) of a white 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra, with an unknown license plate in relation to the investigation of a quadruple homicide on November 13, 2022. This image is not the car in question, it is just for reference. (Moscow PD)
Lanier said analysts "have spent hours sorting through and trying to come up with the most relevant tips. First for the investigators to follow up on."
"They have re-interviewed some of the folks we've interviewed earlier in this investigation to clarify information. Sometimes when new information comes forward, the people that we've spoken to beforehand may have new insight on that," the police captain said. "So, it does often seem like we're backtracking, but we're really just trying to get the most important details and the best timeline that we can come up with."
IDAHO MURDERS: POLICE RELEASE BODYCAM VIDEO FROM NIGHT OF KILLINGS
MPD has "literally an army of analysts who have been sorting through videos that have been submitted through the [fbi.gov/moscowidaho] upload site," Lanier said.
A split photo showing the crime scene and the victims, including University of Idaho students Ethan Chapin, 20; Xana Kernodle, 20; Madison Mogen, 21; and Kaylee Goncalves, 21. (Angela Palermo/Idaho Statesman/Tribune News Service via Getty Images/Instagram/ @kayleegoncalves)
The four victims were stabbed multiple times, and some had defensive wounds.
Students who left campus for Thanksgiving break were given the option to stay home and learn remotely. An estimated 25% to 40% of the school's 11,500-person population did not return to campus after the holiday.
IDAHO POLICE HIT WITH DELUGE OF TIPS ABOUT HYUNDAI ELANTRA, NOW FORWARDING CALLS TO FBI CALL CENTER
MPD has six detectives and five support staff assigned to the case with help from 46 FBI investigators in Moscow and throughout the United States, two Behavior Analysis Unit investigators, 13 Idaho State Police investigators and 15 uniformed troopers.
A memorial is seen on the campus of the University of Idaho, Sunday, November 27, 2022 for the student victims of the quadruple homicide in an off-campus house on November 13. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
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Police also have yet to announce any kind of motive in the quadruple murder.
Tipsters can submit information related to the crime or the vehicle to the Tip Line at 208-883-7180 or the MPD tip email tipline@ci.moscow.id.us.
