Investigators in Moscow, Idaho, are working to “identify patterns” that could help them solve the slayings of four college students whose deaths have shaken the community and so far stumped police, CBS News reports.
Among the most visible aspects of the investigation is an effort by authorities to find the driver of a white vehicle, believed to be a Hyundai Elantra, that was spotted near the crime scene.
The Moscow Police Department on Thursday said police are scouring 22,000 vehicle registrations.
“Through our tips, through our leads, some of the evidence that came in, we start to identify patterns,” Captain Roger Lanier said in a video statement. “And like we said earlier, we are confident that the occupant or occupants of that vehicle had information that’s critical to this investigation.”
Lanier said it is important not to assume that the driver or suspect lives in the immediate neighborhood of the crime scene.
“We weren’t trying to pigeonhole our investigation into the suspect lives in the area,” Lanier said in the video statement. “We wanted to make sure that we covered all the bases.”
Police believe that the victims – Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin – were attacked and killed between 3 and 4 p.m. on November 13.
Their bodies were found in a six-bedroom rooming house near the University of Idaho campus. Investigators have ruled out the other tenants as suspects.
Loved ones of the victims have expressed concern that they are not being kept in the loop about what investigators have found and have questioned why a suspect has yet to be identified.
Kristi Goncalves, Kaylee Goncalves’ mother, told NBC that she feels “left in the dark” and learned about the Hyundai Elantra development in a news release from police.
To report information about the case, call 208-883-7180 or email tipline@ci.moscow.id.us.
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[Feature Photo: FILE – A flyer seeking information about the killings of four University of Idaho students who were found dead is displayed on a table along with buttons and bracelets on Nov. 30, 2022, during a vigil in memory of the victims in Moscow, Idaho. Police are asking for help finding the occupant of a car that was seen near where the students were stabbed to death last month, saying that person could have “critical information” about the case. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)]
