BOISE, Idaho — More than three days after four University of Idaho students were killed by an attacker with a knife, law enforcement and the University of Idaho addressed the public in person for the first time.
Moscow police backtracked on their repeated claims that the community was safe during the Wednesday afternoon press conference at the police station.
“We cannot say that there is no threat to the community,” Moscow Police Chief James Fry said.
The four student victims in the early morning Sunday slayings were U of I seniors Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum; junior Xana Kernodle, 20, of Post Falls; and freshman Ethan Chapin, 20, of Mount Vernon, Washington.
Fry repeated that evidence and analysis at the scene indicated that it was “an isolated, targeted” attack, but also urged people to “stay vigilant” and “be aware of your surroundings at all times.”
“We do not have a suspect at this time, and that individual is still out there,” Fry said.
Police gave a handful of new details. There was no sign of forced entry at the house where the victims were found, and the two other roommates who lived with three of the victims were at the home when police responded to a report of an unconscious person.
“We’re not 100% sure if the door was unlocked,” Fry said. “There was no damage to anything, and the door was still open when we got there.”
Fry confirmed that the four victims were stabbed with a knife. Scott Jutte, general manager of Moscow Building Supply, told the Idaho Statesman earlier on Wednesday that police have visited his store more than once to ask whether the retailer sold KA-BAR brand knives to anyone.
KA-BAR, of Olean, New York, manufactures military-grade blades that were originally designed for use by American troops in World War II.
Autopsies on the bodies were happening Wednesday, according to Fry.
The press conference also included comments from University of Idaho President C. Scott Green, who teared up while paying tribute to the victims.
“The weeks ahead will continue to challenge us as this loss in the circumstances around this crime become known,” Green said.
Jutte said police officers stopped by the home improvement store and lumber yard off North Main Street in Moscow to speak with him on Monday.
“They were specifically asking whether or not we carry KA-BAR-style knives, which we do not,” Jutte said in an interview. “If we did, we could’ve reviewed surveillance footage. But it wasn’t something I could help them with.”
For days, authorities had declined to address how they died. The mother of one of the victims told the Statesman Tuesday that police told her they died of stab wounds. Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt told Spokane’s KXLY TV that her preliminary investigation showed the four U of I students were stabbed to death.
Mabbutt acknowledged the unprecedented circumstances of the students’ deaths, based on her 16 years in the elected office.
“It’s pretty unusual to have four homicides at one time, especially in a small community,” Mabbutt said.
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(The Idaho Statesman's Angela Palermo and Kevin Fixler contributed to this report.)
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