The father of one of the four University of Idaho students stabbed to death says his family will not give her a funeral for fear that the “monster” who murdered her might attend.
Kaylee Goncalves was killed at an off-campus house in the city of Moscow, Idaho, in the early hours of 13 November, with police still hunting for the murderer.
Goncalves, 21, was slain along with her best friend, Madison Mogen, 21, another roommate Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kernodle’s boyfriend Ethan Chapin, 20.
Kaylee’s father, Steve Goncalves, says that the family has not been able to bring itself to have a commemoration for their daughter just yet.
“My wife’s biggest fear, part of the reason we didn’t have a funeral, is because she couldn’t be guaranteed that that monster was going to not be there,” he told ABC News.
He insisted that he still supports and trusts the law enforcement officers who are working the case, despite a lack of results so far and the killer still on the loose.
“I have to assume and hope that this is all part of their plan and ... they’ve got this all figured out,” he told the news network,
“I know that there’s some really good, hard-working guys and girls that are on this case that I’ve met. And they looked me in the eyes and they told me straight-out that they’re working and they’re doing everything in their power.”
Investigators believe that the four victims were killed between 3am and 4am on 13 November, but the alarm was not raised by two surviving roommates until later in the day.
An 11.58am, 911 call asked dispatchers to send help with an unconscious person who would not wake up.
Officers who responded to the home found the four victims on the second and third floors.
But Mr Goncalves says that his daughter and the other victims died quickly in the attack, which was carried out using a “brutal weapon”, that has left the university town on edge.
“Nobody suffered and nobody felt like that kind of pain,” added Mr Goncalves.
“The detective said this weapon is probably something (the killer) paid money for and something that they’re proud of,” he said.
Despite the lack of progress in the investigation so far, Mr Goncalves said he could not stand the idea that his daughter was dead while the killer was “having a great life out there… and you’re just left in shambles.”
“I have to have my justice. These families deserve that,” he said.
