The father of one of the four University of Idaho students butchered in their beds last month has revealed gruesome new details about the victims’ fatal stab wounds.
Four weeks after the 13 November slayings of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, father Steve Goncalves recounted a conversation where he asked Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt how many times the students were stabbed.
“She says, ‘Sir, I don’t think stabs is the right word, it was like tears, like this was a strong weapon, not like a stab,’” Mr Goncalves told Fox News Digital.
“She said these were big open gouges. She said it was quick. These weren’t something where you were going to be able to call 911. They were not going to slowly bleed out.”
Mr Goncalves branded investigators “cowards” for not revealing the vicious degree of the stab wounds, arguing that there are “girls walking around the street right now” that deserve to know “they should be looking out for a sadistic male.” Moscow Police have not revealed the gender of the suspect.
The grieving father’s remarks come amid growing tensions between law enforcement and his family. He has repeatedly criticised police for remaining tight-lipped about the investigation and most recently accused officers assigned to the case of being “inexperienced” and making several mistakes in the early stages of the probe.
“I got outraged by them not just coming out and saying this was a woman or a man because they should know by the amount of strength it took to deliver the injuries,” Mr Goncalves went on to say. “They’re just being cowards.”
Meanwhile, Moscow Police told Fox that they are not releasing certain information in order to protect the integrity of the investigation.
The department has repeatedly said in statements: “At this time, no suspect has been identified and only vetted information that does not hinder the investigation will be released to the public.”
Mr Goncalves said his daughter’s wounds were different to Mogen’s. Goncalves and Mogen were found inside a bedroom on the third floor of the home and were likely sleeping in the same bed at the time of the brutal attack, according to information disclosed by Mr Goncalves and authorities.
“They may have individually died from the exact same thing, being stabbed, but there are more details ... They’re not even close to matching.”
He had previously told Fox that he pressed law enforcement to elaborate but was told that specifics could not be revealed.
Mr Goncalves said last week that his family was considering finding legal counsel to obtain more information about the murder probe.
Goncalves’ mother, Kristi Goncalves, also told Fox on Sunday that the family is raising funds to put rewards out and possibly hire a private investigator.
“Our family would like to fundraise in hopes to offer a reward, and possibly hire a private investigator if that becomes necessary,” Ms Goncalves said.
Ms Goncalves told Fox that the family is raising funds for a reward through a GoFundMe and a GiveSendGo page created by family friends. Nearly $15,000 have been raised between the two pages.
“The money raised will go directly to getting us answers as well as helping to pay for Kaylee’s final arrangements and her celebration of life on December 30,” Ms Goncalves said.
In what appeared to be the strongest lead to date, Moscow Police announced last Wednesday that they were looking to speak to the occupant or occupants of a white 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra which was seen near the King Road home in the early hours of 13 November.
“Investigators believe the occupant(s) of this vehicle may have critical information to share regarding this case,” police said in a statement.
Police are urging the public to come forward with any information, revealing that it might just be the missing “piece of the puzzle”.
Border agents along the US border with Canada have been notified to be on the lookout for the car and tips have been pouring in from the public.
Moscow Police have been so inundated with tips about the vehicle that the calls are being directed to a national FBI tip line. As of Saturday, police said that they are still looking to speak to the occupants and the licence plate remains unknown.
The victims were killed between 3am and 4am on 13 November, authorities have determined.
On the night of 12 November, Kernodle and Chapin were at a sorority party at Sigma Chi house together from 8pm to 9pm and arrived back at the home at around 1.45am. It is unclear where they were in the five-hour time gap.
Goncalves and Mogen had spent the night 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” to arrive at the property at around 1.56am.
Two surviving roommates 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 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 other 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.
Several people have been ruled out as suspects: 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.
