Idaho murders live updates: Moscow police quash victim’s dog rumour as university students return after Thanksgiving

Many of the 911 calls logged by Moscow Police describe “suspicious” men lingering around on the street or outside people’s houses.

Various callers report (in the words of police or 911 staff), a “male standing near bike rack look[ing] like he was trying to hide”, a “male trespass[er]”, a “male acting strange and throwing things into a dumpster”, a “suspicious male”, and “a male wandering around” a certain area twice in one week.

On Monday 14 November, the day after the murders became public knowledge, someone reported a man outside their house taking photos of the upper floors.

One person reported that someone had knocked on their door and then walked away, saying “they have a big dog, try a different house”. Another said a woman walked into their house, saying that she was a cleaner and had gotten the wrong address.

Meanwhile, a caller around 5am on Tuesday 15 November apparently just wanted reassurance. “RP [reporting person] would like to speak with an officer,” says the log. “Scared about recent events and wants to keep his kids home from school again today.”

Records of 911 calls in Moscow, Idaho reveal the deep fear and unease that residents are feeling following the murders on 13 November.

“Owner noticed a mark on the column inside that looks like blood today,” says the log of one call from a laundromat owner on Wednesday 23 November. Though an officer responded, they did not file any report.

Other calls that day include a “complaint of male at dog park asking strange questions” (no report filed) and a report of a “suspicious” man sitting inside a white sedan car (no report).

One caller on Friday 18 November complained of a man at the dog park “asking strange questions”, while another reported of a vehicle “prowling” near them. A University of Idaho security employee also reported a “suspicious male” that evening.

Another former FBI agent has speculated that the murderer is a young man who could pass unnoticed among the student community in the victims’ neighbourhood.

Jonathan Gilliam, who served in the US Navy SEALS before working as an undercover air marshal and FBI special agent, told Fox and Friends that the killing may have been an “escalation” from someone who had been violent before.

“I’m pretty sure that this was a young male, somebody who can get into the house and get out in that neighborhood without being seen,” Mr Gilliam said.

“I don’t think it was two people, because the more people you have going into that house, the more likely it is that they were gonna be seen.

“So I think it’s one male, young enough to have been in that neighbourhood.”

He suggested that, since the ground floor of the house was undisturbed, the killer might have entered the house via the second floor, perhaps by climbing a tree in the wooded area behind it.

He also claimed that it was unlikely to be the first time the killer had showed “strange or menacing behaviour”, nor the last time they might do so.

Mr Gilliam has previously claimed that the Oath Keepers, a far-right militia whose members are currently on trial for their role in the storming of the Capitol last year, is merely “a paper tiger of people who love this nation and who try to make their lives safer by coming together”.

A former FBI investigator has said that the killer was likely to be someone known to the victims.

“There are a couple of things that are starting to suggest that there was someone in these people’s orbit that caused this incident to come about,” Bill Daly, a private security consultant who worked for the FBI in New York from 1973 to 1983, told Fox News on Sunday.

“Someone would’ve had to know the inside of the home, know their routine… if it was someone on a rampage, like a mass murderer, they would’ve also gone downstairs and harmed the others.”

Idaho Police have said that whether the murderer targeted one or all of the students is a “delicate question” that they still can’t publicly answer.

In an interview with DailyMail.com, Idaho State Police spokesman Aaron Snell said: “That’s part of the ongoing investigation. That’s a real delicate question, and when we’re able to say that or if we’re able to say that, we’ll definitely do that.

”It’s very similar to the whole stalking, right. Potentially if there was a stalker, that would be somebody of extreme interest.

“You can’t lay all your cards out at once. We’re trying to find the various potential participants.”

The public has been urged to submit tips about any “unusual behaviour” they may have witnessed in the area on the night of the murders.

All four victims had been out on the Saturday night (12 November) – returning in the early hours of the morning where they were murdered at around 3am or 4am, police said.

Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were at a party at Sigma Chi house together and arrived back at the home at around 1.45am.

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”.

Investigators previously said that the two best friends also arrived home at around 1.45am but updated the timeline on Sunday to reveal that they arrived at the property at around 1.56am, citing “digital evidence”.

The two surviving roommatres were also out that night and arrived home at around 1am, police said.

Investigators are now seeking tips and surveillance video of any unusual behavior on the night of 12 November into the early hours of 13 November while Goncalves and Mogen were in downtown Moscow and while Kernodle and Chapin were at the Sigma Chi house.

Police previously asked for outside surveillance footage taken from 3 am to 6am on 13 November from businesses and homes around two areas of interest. These areas span: West Taylor Ave (north boundary), West Palouse River Dr (south boundary), Highway 95 south to the 2700 block of Highway 95 S (east boundary) and Arboretum & Botanical Garden (west boundary).

The devastated sister of victim Kaylee Goncalves has shared a new heartbreaking tribute to her sibling.

Autumn Goncalves uploaded an Instagram story on Monday morning featuring a brief video of the sisters posing together, with the Coldplay song The Scientist playing over the top.

“I love you so much sissy, I miss you more as the days go on,” she wrote.

Officials are pushing back against rumours which have circled about a dog belonging to one of the murder victims, after it was found unharmed at the crime scene.

Last week, investigators in Moscow revealed that Kaylee Goncalves’ pet dog Murphy was inside the home when the bodies of the four victims were discovered at around midday on 13 November.

Goncalves shared the dog with her long-term ex-boyfriend. He has been ruled out as a suspect in the killings.

Speculation has been swirling online about whether or not the dog was barking at the time of the murders – with internet sleuths using the detail as a benchmark for whether or not the animal may have been familiar with the killer.

Aaron Snell, director of communications for the Idaho State Police, told Fox News Digital that officials have not confirmed whether or not the dog was barking.

The only information so far confirmed about the pet is that it was in the home when police arrived on the scene.

His comments come as officials are continuing to come up against online speculation and unfounded rumours given the high-profile nature of the case.

Moscow Police have updated the timeline of two of the victims’ last known movements, citing “digital evidence”.

In a press release on Sunday, police revealed that Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen returned to the home on King Road from their night out at around 1.56am on 13 November.

Investigators previously said that the two best friends arrived home at around 1.45am.

“Arrival time has been updated based on digital evidence collected by investigators,” authorities said.

The pair had spent the night at the Corner Club in downtown Moscow, arriving at around 10pm on 12 November and leaving at around 1.30am the next morning. They then paid a visit to the Grub Truck late night food spot at around 1.40am before getting a ride home from a private party.

The other two victims Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin arrived back at the home at around 1.45am, police said.

Police in Idaho have blasted the spread of rumours online as a “disservice” to the families of the four students murdered in the brutal knife attack.

Idaho State Police Public Information Officer Aaron Snell told Fox News Digital that “there’s a lot of speculation out there”.

“Ultimately, detectives on scene have the information. The people that are working this case from all three agencies … they’re the best and the brightest, and they have the most up-to-date resources,” he said.

He added that the rumours do “a disservice to the families and to the community because it puts out additional information that hasn’t been vetted”.

Police have debunked several online rumours about the case such as an inaccurate theory that the victims were bound and gagged when they were found.

Several other cases or unusual incidents which have been linked to the case have also now been ruled out, including a 2021 stabbing 400 miles away in Oregon.