MOSCOW, Idaho — A cleaning crew tasked with going through the Moscow, Idaho, crime scene before relinquishing the home to its owners arrived early Friday morning, just hours after investigators took a suspect into custody in connection with the grisly slayings, law enforcement sources said.
Two trucks and a trailer arrived at 1122 King Road in Moscow around 8:30 a.m. Friday, as news broke of a suspect who had been identified and taken into custody thousands of miles away in Pennsylvania. But the crews and law enforcement left shortly thereafter, after they received what Moscow Police Chief James Fry said was a "legal request from the court" to halt their work at the home.
The cleaning crew, deployed by Moscow Police Department in conjunction with the property management company, had planned to undergo the hefty task of clearing the home of any biohazards and "harmful substances" used during the process of evidence collection over the course of the nearly seven weeks since the University of Idaho quadruple homicide. Police said they still hadcontrol of the home, which remains an active crime scene through the remediation process.
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Officials had not said when they believed the clean-up would be completed, "but the property will be returned to the property management company when finished."
Four University of Idaho students were fatally stabbed in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, nearly seven weeks ago.
Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; and 20-year-olds Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle were discovered fatally stabbed inside the three-story King Road residence just before noon on Nov. 13. Goncalves, Kernodle and Mogen lived at the address, which is located just one block from the University of Idaho campus and within eyeshot of some fraternity houses.
Officials have said they believe the victims were asleep when they were attacked between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. on Nov. 13 inside the home at 1122 King Road. Each victim suffered several stab wounds, and some showed signs of trying to defend themselves.
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The attack was carried out on the second and third floors. Two other roommates were on the bottom floor of the home and were unharmed, police said.
Moscow police officers responded around 11:58 a.m. to a report of an "unconscious person" at the address, but several people had gathered at the crime scene by the time police arrived, officials said.
The 911 call "originated from inside the residence" and came from one of the surviving roommates' cellphones, police said. Multiple people allegedly spoke to the dispatcher before officers arrived.
Police previously revealed that they had gathered information through tips and leads about a 2011-2013 white Hyundai Elantra "being in the immediate area of the King Street residence during the early morning hours of Nov. 13." They added that they believe the people inside the vehicle could have "critical information" related to the case.
Investigators are now "sorting through" information on approximately 22,000 Hyundai Elantras that match the description of the one seen near the crime scene at the time of the murders. It was white, and its model year was between 2011 and 2013, police have said.
Police are also analyzing 113 pieces of physical evidence and about 4,000 photos from the scene.
As of Thursday, investigators had received over 19,650 and conducted more than 300 interviews since the attacks. Of those thousands of tips, 9,025 were submitted via email, 4,575 were called in, and 6,050 were sent in the form of digital media submissions.
The Moscow Police Department is urging the public to submit any images or information that they think could be important or useful to their investigation. They can do so by calling 208-883-7180, submitting tips through tipline@ci.moscow.id.us and sending digital media here.
Authorities have also created a dedicated webpage related to the King Road attack.
