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Recent revelations from internal emails at Washington State University have shed light on how campus police were able to identify Bryan Kohberger’s vehicle well before he emerged as a suspect in the tragic case involving the murder of four Idaho college students.
Former Police Chief Gary Jenkins of the Washington State University Police Department detailed in an email the swift actions of Officer Daniel Tiengo and Sergeant Curtis James Whitman. They successfully located Kohberger’s car, a white 2015 Hyundai Elantra, a mere 16 hours after receiving a tip-off about the suspect vehicle on November 28, 2022.
Ultimately, Kohberger was taken into custody on December 30, 2022, underscoring the effectiveness of the police department’s early investigative efforts.
In a communication dated January 5, 2023, Chief Jenkins informed his staff that the identification of the Hyundai Elantra occurred sooner than what was previously documented in the arrest warrant affidavit. This development highlights the proactive measures that were in place during the investigation.
In his email to staff on January 5, 2023, the then-Washington State University Police Chief noted that officers identified the Hyundai Elantra earlier than the arrest warrant affidavit stated.
Madison Mogen, top left, smiles on the shoulders of her best friend, Kaylee Goncalves, as they pose with Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, and two other housemates in Goncalves’ final Instagram post, shared the day before the four students were stabbed to death. (Facebook)
“Note that the timeline for locating the vehicle is not entirely correct in the affidavit. The affidavit indicates that area law enforcement agencies were asked to be on the lookout for the suspect vehicle on November 25 [2022] when, in fact, they did not ask for that until the morning of November 28 [2022],” he wrote.
The email was sent just after the arrest warrant affidavit was made publicly available on December 29, 2022. In those emails, he praised the two officers for their work in quickly identifying Kohberger’s car.
Bryan Kohberger, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022, listens during his arraignment hearing in Latah County District Court, Monday, May 22, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho. (Zach Wilkinson/Moscow-Pullman Daily News)
“You are all probably aware that Kohberger’s arrest warrant affidavit was made available to the public today. “The affidavit describes the great work Officer Tiengo and Sergeant Whitman did in tracking down a possible suspect vehicle which was, as it turned out, the suspect vehicle.”
“We should now all look to embrace opportunities that reframe how others view WSU PD. The difficulties in the past will not define us. It is the great work of Tiengo and Whitman that puts WSU PD in a favorable light on a national stage,” Jenkins added.
The emails from Jenkins were made available on Thursday through a public records request to the university.
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Timeline of Nov. 13, 2022:
- 4 a.m.: Suspect arrives at house
- Between 4 and 4:17: Time of murders
- 4:19: Roommate calls three victims; no one answers
- 4:22 to 4:24: Surviving roommates text each other from inside house
- 4:27: Roommate calls victims again; no one answers
- 4:32: Roommate texts Goncalves, “Pls answer”
- 10:23: Surviving roommate texts victims; no one answers
- 11:39: Roommate calls her father
- 12 p.m.: 911 call placed from roommate’s phone
Bryan Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse for his sentencing hearing on July 23, 2025, in Boise, Idaho. Kohberger pleaded guilty in exchange for being spared the death penalty for the stabbing of four University of Idaho students nearly three years ago. (Kyle Green-Pool/Getty Images)
In a separate email dated Nov. 27, 2022, then-Moscow Police Department Lead Detective Corporal Brett Payne also released on Thursday, he urged local law enforcement agencies not to stop the white 2015 Hyundai Elantra under any circumstances.
“The vehicle in the flyer is of interest to MPD Investigations, however you must understand YOU ARE ORDERED NOT TO STOP, DETAIN, OR CONTACT THE DRIVER unless it is a life-or-death emergency,” Payne wrote.
The victims of Nov. 13 University of Idaho massacre, from left to right: Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen. (Instagram)
Kohberger pleaded guilty to the murders of Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Kaylee Goncalves in a July 2, 2025 deal that took the death penalty off the table. The four University of Idaho students were found dead Nov. 13, 2022, at their house in Moscow, Idaho, located near campus.
In exchange for the death penalty being taken off the table, Kohberger will serve four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole for the four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary.
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