Police outside of the home where four University of Idaho students were found dead (KHQ-TV screenshot)
Four students at the University of Idaho were found dead Sunday evening inside of a house located just off campus. In an email to students, university officials said that investigators believe that the students were “victims of homicide.”
According to a press release from the City of Moscow Police Department, officers at approximately 11:58 a.m. on Nov. 13 responded to a 911 call at a residence located on King Road regarding an unconscious individual. Upon arriving at the scene, first responders “discovered four individuals who were deceased,” authorities say.
The victims were identified on Monday afternoon as Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Madison Mogen, 21. Chapin was from Washington and Kernodle from Arizona; both Goncalves and Mogen were from Idaho. From the university:
With tremendous sadness, I share with you the names of four members of the Vandal Family who died over the weekend: Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves. These four students were killed in an alleged homicide that took place off-campus and is under active investigation by the Moscow Police Department.
Ethan, a freshman from Mount Vernon, Washington, was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity majoring in recreation, sport and tourism management in the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences.
Xana was a junior from Post Falls majoring in marketing in the College of Business and Economics. She was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority.
Madison was a senior majoring in marketing in the College of Business and Economics. She was a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority and was from Coeur d’Alene.
Kaylee, from Rathdrum, was a senior majoring in general studies in the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences. She was a member of the Alpha Phi sorority.
Cops said there is no suspect in custody.
The school, which is located on the state’s western border with Washington, at approximately 5:07 p.m. sent out a request asking all students to shelter in place. The sheltering request was lifted approximately 40 minutes later, after investigators with MPD told the school that they did not believe there was an active threat to students’ safety.
The university cancelled all of its classes statewide and online for Monday, Nov. 14 “out of respect for these fellow Vandals.” Classes are scheduled to resume on Tuesday.
“An event of this magnitude can understandably have significant impacts on those left behind,” the university wrote. “As Vandals, we must come together and lift each other up.”
The school said it will release more details on the deaths when they become available. Police have asked that anyone with any relevant information regarding the homicides to contact the department immediately.
News of the deaths of the four University of Idaho students came as police in Virginia announced that they had apprehended a suspect believed to have fatally shot three student-athletes and injured two others Sunday evening at the University of Virginia, Law&Crime reported earlier Monday. The suspect had previously played football for UVA, is believed to have opened fire inside a chartered bus carrying around two dozen students on Sunday night, according to UVA officials.
Marisa Sarnoff contributed to this report.
[image via KGQ-TV/YouTube screenshot]
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