Six weeks before four University of Idaho students were brutally murdered in their off-campus home, police officers were called to the residence during a rowdy party, but none of the potential victims were present.
The officers arrived at the home around 8:45 p.m. on September 1 and knocked on the front door for a few minutes before two unidentified men came downstairs to speak with them.
“I just looked for everyone who lives here, and they’re not here right now,” said one of the men. “I have no idea where they went. No idea.”
Two unidentified men eventually came downstairs to speak to officers and said no one who lived in the home was present.
(Moscow Police Department)
After one of the officers noted there might be underage drinking and said he just wanted to treat it as a noise complaint, one of the men offered to try to get someone who lives there on the phone.
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Officers eventually spoke to 21-year-old Maddie Mogen, a resident of the home and one of four victims who would eventually be killed.
“The reason we’re here is we got a noise complaint from loud music and partying,” the officer told Mogen over the phone.
“None of the occupants who live at this address are here at the moment. So now you have a house full of random people. You need to let them know that the noise needs to be reduced.”
One of the officers eventually spoke to Maddie Mogen, an occupant of the home who was murdered six weeks later.
(Moscow Police Department)
Mogen apologized, telling officers she was frustrated but would make sure they turned the music down.
“I’m so sorry once again,” Mogen said.
“If I were you, I’d probably go home and make sure whoever’s partying here keeps it to a minimum,” the officer told him.
The noise complaint was filed about six weeks before Mogen was killed, along with Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20.
The officers threw several alcoholic beverages before leaving.
(Moscow Police Department)
Ted Williams, a former Washington, D.C., homicide detective, said he believes the killer had likely been in the home before and was familiar with the layout, which could complicate the investigation given the number of people constantly going in and out of the home. .
There is also likely a large amount of physical evidence that investigators have had to examine, according to Williams.
“This very well may be why it’s so difficult for law enforcement to process a crime scene, because this location where these four victims were killed was considered a party house,” Williams told Fox News Digital.
“Naturally, there would be a lot of DNA and other physical evidence at that scene, so what law enforcement is trying to do right now is go through a process of removal.”
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Police have yet to identify a suspect, but say a fixed-blade knife was used to stab the four victims multiple times between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. on November 13.
A split photo showing the crime scene and 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/Instagram/ @kayleegoncalves)
Front view of the house where four Idaho students were murdered.
(Adam Sabes/Fox News Digital)
A neighbor previously described the residence as a “party house” where large groups could be seen any night of the week.
“There were parties that were a bit loud,” the neighbor told Fox News. “As I would go in and out with my dog to go to the bathroom, I would walk by, look up and see people in the windows almost every night, probably four or five nights a week. There were a lot of people going in and out of that house quite a bit. frequency”.
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Dozens of law enforcement officers from the FBI, the Idaho State Police and the Moscow Police Department have been investigating the slayings since last month.
A map showing the final movements of four University of Idaho students before they were murdered.
(Moscow City Police Department/Instagram)
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More than 10,000 tips have come in from the public, the most recent leading police to search for a white 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra that was seen near the crime scene the night of the murders.
Anyone with information about the case can call for advice at 208-883-7180., E-mail tipline@ci.moscow.id.us or send digital media here.
Jasmine Baehr and Ashley Soriano of Fox News contributed to this report.
