Idaho murders: King Road crime scene to be cleaned starting Friday, then turned over to property company

MOSCOW, Idaho – A cleaning crew will soon be going through the Moscow, Idaho, home where four students were violently slain over six weeks ago, as investigators separately comb through over 19,600 tips related to the still unsolved murders. 

Moscow Police Chief James Fry said Thursday the department had enlisted a team of professionals to begin cleaning the home at 1122 King Road, where the four University of Idaho students were fatally stabbed on Nov. 13. They said the home will “remain an active crime scene under police control” for the time being.

 In a Thursday press release, police said a private company would be cleaning the residence, including by “removing potential biohazards and other harmful substances used to collect evidence.”

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Police officers will be on standby in the area during the cleaning activities, but officials said they do not have an estimated timeline for the services to be completed. Once they are, the home “will be returned to the property management company.” 

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Meanwhile, Fry said investigators had received over 19,650 and conducted more than 300 interviews since the attacks.  Of those thousands of tips, 9,025 were submitted via email, 4,575 were called in and 6,050 were sent in the form of digital media submissions.

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 on 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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Officials have said they believe the victims were asleep when they were attacked between 3 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.

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.

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.

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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.

On Dec. 7, police revealed they had gathered information through tips and leads about a 2011-2013 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.

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 and 2013, police have said.

Police are also analyzing 113 pieces of physical evidence and about 4,000 photos from the scene. 

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 [email protected] and sending digital media here. 

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