MOSCOW, Idaho – EXCLUSIVE: The family of one of four University of Idaho victims killed in a shock home invasion attack last month seeks to raise information reward money in the case, as the investigation reaches the four-week mark without a arrest or publicly identified suspects.
“Our family would like to raise funds in hopes of offering a reward and possibly hiring a private investigator if necessary,” Kristi Goncalves, mother of 21-year-old Kaylee Goncalves, told Fox News Digital on Sunday.
His daughter and three friends, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, both 20, were murdered in a rental house on King Road, just steps from campus, between 3 and 4 a.m. November 13.
All four had been stabbed to death, according to Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt, likely attacked in their sleep. Toxicology reports from the victims have yet to come in.
IDAHO MURDERS: POLICE SAY THEY ARE GETTING ‘GOOD ADVICE’ 4 WEEKS DESPITE LACK OF REWARD AND SUSPICION
Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, along with the two other roommates of the women in Kaylee Goncalves’ latest Instagram post, shared the day before the murders.
(@kayleegoncalves/Instagram)
To raise funds, the family is supporting a couple of online fundraisers: a GoFundMe set up by Goncalves’ former boss, Jeremiah Shea, and a GiveSendGo campaign by a family friend named Brooke Miller, Kristi Goncalves said.
“Money raised will go directly to getting answers, as well as helping pay for Kaylee’s final arrangements and her celebration of life on December 30,” he added.
The family had previously refrained from announcing memorial plans.
When asked about the lack of a reward on Saturday, police told Fox News Digital that they were already receiving a steady feed of information on the case.
LOOK: The parents of Kaylee Goncalves seek answers 3 weeks after the murders of university students
IDAHO COLLEGE MURDERS: POLICE REVEAL KEY DETAILS ABOUT EVENTS SURROUNDING THE STABBING OF 4 STUDENTS
“Investigators continue to get good tips and leads and are focusing on that right now,” police spokeswoman Robbie Johnson told Fox News Digital.
After appealing to the public for help finding the occupant or occupants of a white 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra seen near the victims’ home at the time of the killings, local police said they received such a flood of calls that they asked to the FBI to handle them. .
“The global call center has the resources to take those calls, categorize them and send them to investigators, so they can use those tips in the investigation,” the Moscow Police Department said on Thursday.
Outside experts with experience in similar investigations told Fox News Digital that the sooner a reward is offered, the better, especially as the number of investigators assigned to the task force will dwindle over time.
“I would give the reward now that they still have staff,” said Paul Mauro, a lawyer and retired NYPD inspector who has been closely following the case. “When it starts to slow down, it’s not the time to offer a bounty. You won’t have the bodies to investigate the clues.”
Pat Diaz, a private investigator and former Miami-Dade homicide detective, worked on a high-profile child murder in the 1990s that resulted in an arrest and conviction after one of those tips came through.
The belongings of victims of the University of Idaho quadruple homicide are removed from the home in Moscow, Idaho, on Wednesday, December 7, 2022.
(Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
“One lucky lead, with all these detectives, will help you crack the case,” he told Fox News Digital.
Months after Jimmy Ryce was kidnapped on his way home from school in 1995, the eventual suspect’s landlady and employer began to suspect that he had stolen from her. When he searched his trailer, he found inside the missing boy’s backpack and his missing gun, which had been used to kill the boy.
She had also seen a flyer with police contact information, she said, and she called to report it.
IDAHO MURDERS: NEIGHBOR OF MURDERED COLLEGE STUDENTS SAYS FRONT DOOR WAS LEFT OPEN AFTER ATTACKS
Victims of the November 13 massacre at the University of Idaho. From left to right: Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle, both 20, and Maddie Mogen, 21.
(Instagram @xanakernodle / @maddiemogen / @kayleegoncalves)
Juan Carlos Chávez, 46, was arrested. He confessed, led the police to the boy’s body, and was later executed.
Separately, police have warned online detectives following the case to avoid speculation, especially if it leads to threats and harassment.
“Investigators have been monitoring online activity related to this active and ongoing case and are aware of the large amount of rumors and misinformation being shared, as well as harassing and threatening behavior towards potentially involved parties,” Moscow police said in a statement on Friday afternoon.
Anyone with information is asked to call the tip line at 208-883-7180 or email tipline@ci.moscow.id.us. Digital media can be submitted at fbi.gov/moscowidaho.
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The University of Idaho held its fall graduation ceremonies on Saturday, with a moment of silence in memory of the victims before the new graduates walked.
Following the murders, the school has reopened distance learning for students who may be reluctant to return to campus under the circumstances.
