University of Idaho students called mystery man before murder, victim's sister claims
The sister of one of the Idaho students who was murdered after a night out has claimed her sibling called a mystery man before she was killed.
Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle, 20, were found dead in the home they shared near the university campus in Moscow, Idaho, on Sunday 13 November.
Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt confirmed earlier this week that the cause of death in each case was murder by stabbing, saying the four students had been ‘butchered’.
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Mabbutt said the killings appeared to be 'personal', given what they discovered in the autopsy, and said they may have found some 'defensive wounds' on the bodies of the victims, suggesting they had fought back against their attacker.
Alivia Goncalves, the sister of victim Kaylee, has decided to try and find out what happened to the group herself, telling CBS’ Inside Edition: “We are not getting any answers and we are not going to settle for that.”
Goncalves has already found a video of her sister and Mogen at a food truck just hours before their murder, and also managed to track down their Uber driver.
“I found neighbors’ ring camera footage so that I could verify that the Uber driver took them home,” she said.
What she’s not sure about just yet, however, is why her sister and Mogen called a young man named Jack multiple times before her death.
“At 2:26 a.m. Kaylee starts to call Jack,” Goncalves explained.
“Kaylee calls Jack six times between 2:26 a.m. to 2:44 a.m., from 2:44 to 2:52 Maddie calls Jack three times, then Kaylee makes a final call to him at 2:52 a.m. And they are both never heard from again."
Two other roommates were home at the time of the attack and were not injured.
On Friday (November 18), Moscow police said they ‘do not believe’ the surviving roommates or a man who was seen in surveillance video from the food truck were involved in the murders.
Mabbutt confirmed that the four bodies were found in separate locations, and were discovered in their beds.
“There were multiple stab wounds on them and most of them had just one that was the lethal stab wound,” the coroner said.
“The fatal ones were to the chest area, the upper body area.
“It was a pretty large knife so it’s really hard to call them puncture wounds. They were definitely stabbings and it has to be somebody that’s pretty angry in order to stab four people to death.”
Idaho University said it would be holding a candlelight vigil for the victims after the thanksgiving break.
The institution said in a statement: "Four University of Idaho students, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves were killed in a homicide that took place off-campus Nov. 13.
"Since then, Vandal Family members and many others have expressed a desire to show or give support. Your thoughts, prayers and concern for the victims, their families and our campus community are greatly appreciated.
"A candlelight vigil is planned for Wednesday, Nov. 30, to honor the memory of Ethan, Xana, Madison and Kaylee. There are two ways to participate.
"Moscow, Idaho: The university will host a vigil at 5 p.m. Pacific time, Wednesday, Nov. 30. The vigil will be on the Moscow campus with the final location to be determined at a later date as we monitor the forecast.
"All other locations: Please join us from where you are, individually or as a group, to help us light up Idaho. Light a candle, turn on stadium lights, or hold a moment of silence with us as we unite on campus. To connect with the Vandal Family on social media, tag #VandalStrong or mention @uidaho."
Jess Hardiman