The grieving father of one of the four University of Idaho students murdered in a brutal knife attack has said he is “definitely concerned” about the investigation as he revealed that he has had zero contact with police for several days.
Steve Goncalves last heard from law enforcement trying to catch Kaylee Goncalves’ killer at around 5pm on Wednesday (23 November).
On Saturday, he told Fox News that investigators had fallen silent with him ever since as he voiced frustration with the lack of information he has been given about what happened to his 21-year-old daughter.
“Law enforcement told me that they were going to drop off a little bit and not to expect the same type of communication that I had gotten before,” he said.
“They’re kind of just telling me that they can’t tell me much, which is frustrating to me because I’ve been very trustworthy,” adding that he does know some additional information than has been made public.
“I do know things, I haven’t shared things,” he said.
While he said he believes the law enforcement officers working on the case are “hardworking individuals”, he admitted that the silence has left the family “definitely concerned”.
For now, he said he is trying to be patient with the investigation – which is now entering its third week with no arrests made and no suspects identified.
“We’re holding our tongue, we’re waiting patiently, but we’re definitely concerned,” he said.
On Saturday, Idaho State Police communications director Aaron Snell insisted he believes in the integrity of the investigation and that officials are intentionally withholding information in order to try to catch the killer.
“And so if we just provide information to the public, I just don’t think that that’s going to be a wise choice,” he told Fox News Digital, adding that keeping information “from view is going to be critical [in] trying to develop” the investigation in the future.
This includes information around why they believe the murders were targeted and a profile of the killer which is being created by behavioural experts.
Two weeks have now passed since Goncalves, her roommates Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle and Kernodle’s boyfriend Ethan Chapin were stabbed to death in the early hours of 13 November – with no suspects identified, no arrests made and the murder weapon yet to be recovered.
On Monday, University of Idaho students are expected to return to Moscow following the Thanksgiving break.
However, with the killer or killers still at large it remains to be seen how many will come back for in-person lessons for the remaining two weeks of classes before the winter recess.
The Independent previously reported how the small college town had emptied out in the wake of the murders and college officials have vowed to take a flexible approach to learning.
Police in Moscow are now grappling with a rise in calls as the community remains racked by fear.
Since 13 November – the day of the murders – Moscow Police have received 78 calls for “unusual circumstances” and 36 requests to check the welfare of loved ones, an increase from 70 and 18 respectively, for the whole of October, according to data released on Sunday by the department.
Police revealed that, in many cases, the concerned callers had alerted their friends or family members prior to calling police – echoing what happened on that tragic day on 13 November.
“We understand there is a sense of fear within our community,” police said in a press release.
“As officers respond to these incidents, they find that concerned parties call friends and family before notifying the police.
“For life-safety and emergencies, we want to remind our community to call 9-1-1 before notifying family or friends. For nonemergency assistance, please call (208) 882-2677 (COPS).”
Police have also updated the timeline of two of the victims’ last known movements, citing “digital evidence”.
Goncalves and Mogen had spent the night of 12 November at The Corner Club bar in downtown Moscow, before stopping by a food truck and then getting a ride home from an unnamed “private party”.
Investigators previously said that the two best friends arrived home at around 1.45am.
Now, police have learned that they returned to the home on King Road at around 1.56am.
“Arrival time has been updated based on digital evidence collected by investigators,” authorities said.
Kernodle and Chapin were at a sorority party at Sigma Chi house together and arrived back at the home at around 1.45am.
The two surviving roommatres were also out that night and arrived home at around 1am, police said.
The two women, who lived in rooms on the first floor of the home, are believed to have slept through the brutal killings and were unharmed.
The four victims are believed to have been stabbed to death in their beds at around 3am or 4am with a fixed-blade knife, police said. There was no signs of sexual assault on any of the victims and the murder weapon – a fixed-blade knife – has not been recovered.
Two were found on the second floor and two on the third floor of the home.
The horrific crime scene went unnoticed for several more hours, with police receiving a 911 call at 11.58am on Sunday, reporting an “unconscious individual” at the home.
The two roommates had first called friends to the home because they believed one of the second floor victims was unconscious and would not wake up. When the friends arrived, a 911 call was made from one of the roommates’ phones.
Police arrived on the scene to find the four victims dead from multiple stab wounds.
The two surviving housemates, the man who was caught on camera with Mogen and Goncalves at a food truck in the downtown area before they headed home on the night of the slayings, the person who gave Mogen and Goncalves a ride home from the food truck, Goncalves’ former long-term boyfriend and the friends who were in the home when the 911 call was made have all been ruled out as suspects.
