Candles and flowers are left at a memorial honoring four slain University of Idaho students at the Mad Greek restaurant in Moscow, Idaho, on Tuesday. Two of the victims, Madison Mogen, 21, and Xana Kernodle, 20, were servers at the restaurant.
Nicholas K. Geraniums/AP
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Nicholas K. Geraniums/AP
Candles and flowers are left at a memorial honoring four slain University of Idaho students at the Mad Greek restaurant in Moscow, Idaho, on Tuesday. Two of the victims, Madison Mogen, 21, and Xana Kernodle, 20, were servers at the restaurant.
Nicholas K. Geraniums/AP
Police in Moscow, Idaho, believe a knife or other bladed weapon was used to kill four University of Idaho students last weekend, offering an update on a homicide they describe as “an isolated attack and targeted”. Whoever is responsible for the deaths remains at large.
Only limited information has come out about the killings, according to member station Boise State Public Radio. Here’s what we know so far.
The victims range from a freshman to a senior
The four students, three women and one man, were found dead in an apartment on King Road near campus on Sunday after police responded to a report of an unconscious person.
After police publicly identified the slain students Monday afternoon, the University of Idaho released more details about the four:
Ethan Chapin 20, a freshman from Mount Vernon, Wash., was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. His major was recreation, sports and tourism management.
Kaylee Goncalves, 21 years olda senior from Rathdrum, Idaho, majoring in general studies in the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences.
Xana Kernodle, 20 years olda junior from Post Falls, Idaho, majoring in marketing and was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority.
Madison “Maddie” Mogen, 21a senior from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, was majoring in marketing.
All three women were from Kootenai County — whose county seat, Coeur d’Alene, is just across the border from Spokane, Wash. Chapin was from north of Seattle, west of Washington.
Kernodle and Mogen worked together at the Mad Greek restaurant in central Moscow.
“Xana and Maddie have been servers here for several years and brought so much joy to our restaurant and everyone they met,” restaurant management said. In a follow-up post, they said friends of the couple and university staff met at the restaurant on Monday night to share support.
The deaths were ruled homicides
The Moscow Police Department says it has not found any weapons in connection with the attack, but preliminary information leads investigators to believe “a knife-like bladed weapon was used.”
“There are currently no suspects in custody,” police said Tuesday.
Police hope to learn more this week, when autopsies on the victims are expected to be completed. This could “hopefully provide more definitive information on the exact cause of death,” the department said.
Moscow Mayor Art Bettge says local police are investigating “with the support of many other agencies.”
The campus is in mourning, and on edge
Based on what they’ve learned so far, investigators see the killings as “an isolated, targeted attack and there is no immediate threat to the community at large,” the department said.
But with no one in custody and few details available, “Many students are scared and leaving campus early for Thanksgiving break,” local TV host Maggie O’Mara said via Facebook.
Authorities are now working to piece together the activities of the victims and the events that occurred Saturday night and Sunday morning that culminated in the discovery of the quadruple homicide.
Some of the victims’ relatives have released statements through local media, mourning the tragic loss of young people who were much loved and had a promising future ahead of them. Amid the lack of answers, they also asked people not to speculate or spread misinformation about what led up to the attack.
