Investigators sort through tips as investigation into UI homicides drags on

Police continue to sift through tips in the investigation of the brutal killings of four University of Idaho students last month.

“We are still 100% committed to solving this crime,” said Moscow Police Capt. Roger Lanier in a video posted to the department’s YouTube page Monday.

Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were found stabbed to death at the girls’ off -campus home on Nov. 13. Investigators have released few details since the week of the homicides. They still do not have a suspect or the weapon used in the attack.

Last week, invesitators asked for tips related to a 2011-13 Hyundai Elantra seen near the house at 1122 King Road the night of the homicides.

“Investigators still continued to sort through numerous tips, calls and online tips in regards to the investigation,” Lanier said.

Lanier clarified investigators are looking to see what the car’s occupants may have witnessed.

“We’re looking for that car because we believe through our investigation that that car was in the area during the time of the murders,” Lanier said. “The occupant or occupants may have seen something, they may not know they’ve seen something. So we specifically want to talk to them and we want to know who they are and what they might be able to contribute to the investigation.”

Over the weekend, investigators sorted through hundreds of tips, many related to the car.

“It’s overwhelming sometimes with the amount of information that comes in on these tip lines,” Lanier said.

Investigators are re-interviewing people to clarify things as they build a picture of the days surrounding the homicides. Investigators, including the FBI, are ready to interview people “at any point, anywhere,” Lanier said, with teams on alert across the country.

Surveillance videos have been uploaded to the FBI’s digital media site from all over town, specifically around King Road, Lanier said.

“As you can imagine there’s hours and hours of video,” Lanier said.

While Moscow police have received significant support from other agencies including the FBI and Idaho State Police, managing the complex investigation “is still a daunting task,” Lanier said.

That task is made more difficult by the rumors spreading far and wide on social media.

“Tracking down rumors and quelling rumors … is a huge distraction for investigators and often times is the result of social media propagation,” Lanier said.

Investigators have released few new details and have not held a news conference in weeks, but Lanier said that’s to protect the case.

“We do have a lot of information and we are specifically keeping that information safe,” Lanier said. “We are not releasing specific details because we do not want to compromise this investigation.”

The Moscow community has continued to be concerned about their safety with the attacker on the loose. Lanier encouraged people to be vigilant .

“This is not an indication of a specific elevated risk but something that we should be vigilant with just in our daily lives,” Lanier said.