The ex-boyfriend of slain University of Idaho student Kaylee Goncalves is heartbroken over her death and is distraught that some internet sleuths are pointing the finger at him, the New York Post reports.
In an interview with the news outlet, the aunt of Jack DuCoeur said her nephew is being vilified by “half of America” who thinks he might “be responsible” for the deaths.
“He’s not only lost the love of his life, and what we all thought, and he probably thought as well, would be his future wife,” Brooke Miller told the Post.
On November 13, Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernoodle, and Ethan Chapin were found stabbed to death inside an off-campus house in Moscow, Idaho, in what authorities described as a bloody and gruesome scene.
Investigators believe they were killed between 3 and 4 a.m., and Goncalves’ injuries, in particular, were “significantly more brutal” than the other victims, according to News Nation, citing unnamed sources.
Speculation has since run rampant about who might be responsible for the slayings, especially because police have yet to identify a suspect.
One person examined early in the investigation was 22-year-old DuCoeur, who had been dating Goncalves for about five years before she ended the relationship several weeks before the deaths.
Authorities determined that Goncalves and Mogen called DuCouer 10 times without answer hours before the attack. But police said they investigated the calls and cleared DuCouer of any involvement in the murders.
“Detectives do not believe the male Kaylee and Madison attempted to contact numerous times on November 13th is involved in this crime,” the Moscow Police Department said in a written statement.
Despite the statement from police, some internet sleuths continue to focus on DuCouer, such as YouTuber Jessica de la Davies, who said it was suspicious that a dog inside the residence at the time of the slayings apparently did not become agitated.
Goncalves and DuCouer had jointly purchased the dog, which is now with DuCouer.
Despite their separation, Goncalves and DuCouer had an “amiable” split, and they continued to be friends, according to Miller.
“Obviously he was sad, but they were still friends,” Miller told the Post, adding that Goncalves “was planning on moving away.”
Miller said DuCouer, a mechanical engineering major, has been “surrounded by family and friends” since the killings, according to the Post.
She told the newspaper that the allegations by internet sleuths are “the most ridiculous conspiracies,” a position apparently also held by Goncalves’ family, who have expressed support for him publicly.
“We all know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that there’s no way that Jack would ever do anything like that to anybody,” Miller told the Post.
Miller has launched an online fundraising effort to help Goncalves’ family hire a private investigator. As of Sunday morning, more than $17,000 had been raised.
“This criminal who murdered Kaylee, her best friend Maddie and 2 other students in the house that night MUST be swiftly found and brought to justice,” the online fundraiser reads.
Meanwhile, police are still searching for the driver of a white Hyundai Elantra spotted near the crime scene around the time of the slayings.
To report information about the case, call 208-883-7180 or email tipline@ci.moscow.id.us.
Hear a previous episode on the case below:
[Feature Photo: Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves (left)Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle;/Instagram]
