The University of Idaho will increase its security next semester after four of its students were killed in a nearby off-campus home.
Nearly six weeks after the fatal stabbings of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in Moscow on 13 November, the killer remains at large. Police in the town of just 25,000 are still receiving tips about a Hyundai Elantra seen near the scene of the crime around the time of the slayings.
As of Wednesday evening, no suspects have been named and no murder weapon has been found.
It has now been revealed that the University of Idaho plans to offer self-defence, stalking awareness, and vigilance courses to students during the upcoming spring semester, Fox News Digital reported. The college will also work “with fraternity and sorority chapters to bring external experts in to assess chapter facility safety and security.”
The university will allow students who do not wish to return to the Moscow campus to take online courses or attend classes at the Boise, Idaho Falls, and Coeur d’Alene campuses. Meanwhile, students who stay in Moscow will see more law enforcement and security personnel, according to Fox.
Investigators are still on the hunt for the occupant or occupants of a mystery white car which was spotted near the student home around the time of the murders.
Police have identified around 22,000 vehicles that fit the description of the car and are combing through the information for clues.
Moscow Police said that a white 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra with an unknown licence plate was seen “in the immediate area” 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 nearly two weeks ago.
Amid growing tension between the victims’ loved ones about the lack of information being released and doubts raised on whether the local department has the resources and experience to handle the probe, the chief of police said he will keep lead oversight of the investigation.
“There have been numerous questions about leadership in this investigation. Let me be clear, this is the Moscow Police Department’s investigation, and I am the Chief of Police,” Moscow Police Department Chief James Fry said in a video statement on Tuesday.
He continued: “The decisions are mine and mine alone. I have an excellent Command Staff, with over 94 years of combined experience, overseeing the investigation’s daily operation, and I select who runs the investigative teams.”
The four victims were stabbed to death in their beds with a fixed-blade knife at around 3am or 4am on 13 November. There were no signs of sexual assault.
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.
Police arrived on the scene to find the four victims dead from multiple stab wounds.
