Idaho murders: University adding more campus security personnel

The University of Idaho will be bolstering its security presence on campus and adding several services for students returning to school for their spring semester, as investigators hunt for answers in the still-unsolved Moscow murders. 

Students who choose not to return to the Moscow, Idaho, campus for the spring semester in January have alternative options of virtual and online classes, or courses at the university’s other campuses in Boise, Idaho Falls, and Coeur d’Alene, the university said in an announcement earlier this month. 

But those who do choose to return in light of the unsolved homicides involving four University of Idaho students in November will see enhanced law enforcement patrols near campus, more security personnel on campus and a continued heightened police presence, the university said. 

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The school is also offering several programs related to self-defense, "stalking awareness," vigilance and sexual assault awareness. It will be hosting a "campus and community town hall focusing on home safety," and is also working "with fraternity and sorority chapters to bring external experts in to assess chapter facility safety and security." 

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Questions continue to swirl as the Nov. 13 quadruple homicide surpasses five weeks without a suspect. Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, and 20-year-olds Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle were discovered fatally stabbed inside the three-story King Road residence just before noon Nov. 13. Goncalves, Kernodle and Mogen lived at the address, which is located just one block from the University of Idaho campus and within eyeshot of some fraternity houses. 

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Meanwhile, images captured exclusively by Fox News Digital on Tuesday show people retrieving several boxes from a Moscow facility where the victims’ belongings were being stored after the tragedy. 

The same group of men could be seen removing snow from a blue Honda sedan bearing Arizona plates and then driving it away from the tow lot. The vehicle was one of the cars that was towed away from the crime scene and moved to the lot weeks earlier.

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A split photo showing the crime scene and the victims, including University of Idaho students Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21. (Angela Palermo/Idaho Statesman/Tribune News Service via Getty Images/Inst

It was not immediately clear where the vehicle was being taken.

Officials have said they believe the victims were asleep when they were attacked between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. inside the home at 1122 King Road. Each victim suffered several stab wounds, and some showed signs of trying to defend themselves. 

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The attack was carried out on the second and third floors. Two other roommates were on the bottom floor of the home and were unharmed, police said. 

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Moscow Police officers responded around 11:58 a.m. to a report of an "unconscious person" at the address, but several people had gathered at the crime scene by the time police arrived, officials said. 

The 911 call "originated from inside the residence" and came from one of the surviving roommates' cellphones, police said. Multiple people allegedly spoke to the dispatcher before officers arrived.

Police revealed Dec. 7 that they had gathered information through tips and leads about a 2011 to 2013 white Hyundai Elantra "being in the immediate area of the King Street residence during the early morning hours of Nov. 13." They added that they believe the people inside the vehicle could have "critical information" related to the case.

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A cellphone photo of a computer screen showing a white car on Highway 8 in Moscow, Idaho, around 3:45 a.m. on Nov. 13, according to a clerk who found it while reviewing security footage. (Fox News Digital)

Investigators are now "sorting through" information on approximately 22,000 Hyundai Elantras that match the description of the one seen near the crime scene at the time of the murders. It was white, and its model year was between 2011-2013, police have said. 

Police are analyzing 113 pieces of physical evidence and about 4,000 photos from the scene. They had received an estimated 10,000 tips and leads as of Monday. 

The Moscow Police Department is urging the public to submit any images or information that they think could be important or useful to their investigation. They can do so by calling 208-883-7180, submitting tips through tipline@ci.moscow.id.us and sending digital media here

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Authorities have also created a dedicated webpage related to the King Road attack. 
 

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