Four University of Idaho students might have been killed in burglary gone wrong, mayor says

The four University of Idaho students found dead in the off-campus home they shared might have been killed in a ‘crime of passion’ or a ‘burglary gone wrong’. 

Ethan Chapin, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, were all found dead in the house they shared in Moscow, Idaho, on Sunday. 

Police have not disclosed to the public how they died. The authorities were first alerted to the scene by someone else who called 911 at around noon to report an unconscious person at the address. 

Art Bettge, mayor of Moscow, called the deaths a ‘crime of passion’ and ‘senseless acts of violence,’ but also said they may have been killed in a ‘burglary gone wrong’. 

Police are still trying to narrow down exactly what happened, he said. 

‘It’s one of any of a plenitude of possibilities, including burglary gone wrong, robbery gone wrong… any of those is a possibility and not one to the exclusion of others,’ he told Fox News.

The four University of Idaho students who were found dead in off-campus housing were identified on Monday as Madison Mogen, 21, top left, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, bottom left, Ethan Chapin, 20, center, and Xana Kernodle, 20, right. They are pictured just hours before their untimely deaths

The four were found dead after police responded to a call about an unconscious person in a home on Sunday 

A chilling last photo posted by Goncalves hours before the bodies were discovered showed the four standing on a house porch smiling with their arms around each other. 

Goncalves’ family issued a statement on social media and said the 21-year-old was only a few months shy of moving across the country for a new job.

‘She was looking forward to her job in tech starting on 1/1, a move to Texas, road trips in her just purchased Range Rover, and a trip she planned out to Europe,’ the family wrote. ‘She’d never stop fighting for us and demanding the truth and justice and neither will we.’

Mogen and Goncalves were members of the Alpha Phi sorority on campus. Kernodle and Chapin appeared to have been dating, according to her Instagram that featured photos of the couple cuddled up. 

Chapin and Kernodle appeared to be in a relationship before their untimely death 

Goncalves, of Rathdrum, Idaho, left, and Mogen, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, right, were in the Alpha Phi sorority at the University of Idaho together

 The family wrote: ‘She’d never stop fighting for us and demanding the truth and justice and neither will we’

Police in Idaho said they responded to a call of an unconscious person at the home just before noon on Sunday.

When they arrived at the scene, they found all four people dead in a ‘house that was converted into an apartment,’ Police Capt. Tyson Berrett told the Idaho Statesman.

He later announced that all four students were students at the university, which the school also disclosed in a news release. 

It remains unclear how the victims died, but local police are considering it a homicide. 

Police have not taken any suspects into custody as of Monday, but say they do not believe there is a threat to the rest of the school community.

Authorities are now asking anyone with information about the apparent murders to call (208) 882 -2677.

Police in Idaho said they responded to a call of an unconscious person at the home just before noon on Sunday

When they arrived at the scene, they found all four people dead in a ‘house that was converted into an apartment’

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He later announced that all four students were students at the university, which the school also disclosed in a news release

The group appeared to be hanging out together hours before their death.

Kernodle and Chapin posted photos together on Instagram. She posted the photo above of Chapin on October 29 to wish him a happy birthday

Mogen, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and Goncalves of Rathdrum, Idaho posed together in one last picture alongside their other sorority sisters and Chapin, of Conway, Washington, who was in Sigma Chi. 

Kernodle, of Avondale, Arizona was also in the picture and didn’t appear to be in a sorority. 

The school originally posted an alert on social media at 3.07pm Sunday saying police were investigating a homicide nearby.

The post said the suspect was not known at the time, and school officials advised students to stay away from the area and shelter in place.

By 3.46pm, the school put out a second alert that said police did not believe there was an active threat, and the ‘shelter in place’ advisory was lifted.

Still, school officials warned students to ‘remain vigilant.’ 

In an ensuing email, university officials told student that all Monday classes would be canceled ‘out of respect for those fellow Vandals,’ referring to the school’s mascot.

Goncalves’ family issued a statement on social media and said the 21-year-old was only a few months shy of moving across the country for a new job

The university said counselors would be available for students at the campus counseling center, while employees could access assistance through an employee assistance program.

Green urged people to reach out if they were concerned about classmates or coworkers.

‘An event of this magnitude can understandably have significant impacts on those left behind,’ he wrote. ‘As Vandals, we must come together and lift each other up.’

Following the news of their deaths, students flocked to Chapin’s Instagram page expressing their grief.

‘Too young too soon. Fly high baby! We’ll be there soon,’ Jacob Perez wrote on his most recent post documenting events from his freshman year.

‘Forever grateful to have you in my life,’ another wrote.

Goncalves’ family further described her as being a ‘defender’ and ‘protector.’ 

‘One of the most painful experiences has to be to sum up an entire person in a paragraph,’ the family wrote. ‘Our sister can’t be packaged up in a box with a neat bow and shame on anyone who would expect that.

‘Kaylee was, is, and always will be our defender & protector. She is tough & fair. The ultimate middle child. She did absolutely everything she set her mind to. She didn’t hold back on love, fights, or life. Kaylee was the ultimate go getter and constantly wanted an adventure.’ 

Their deaths came the same day an ex-football player killed three members of the University of Virginia’s football team in a shooting, leading to a police chase and campus lockdown. 

The university said counselors would be available for students at the campus counseling center, while employees could access assistance through an employee assistance program