BOISE, Idaho — A parent of one of four University of Idaho students stabbed to death in November is still sharing details with the media that detectives have said could compromise the investigation.
Steve Goncalves, father of Kaylee Goncalves, told Fox News in an interview that the victims in the killings at a house near U of I’s campus in Moscow early Nov. 13 had “big open gouges.” He called the police “cowards” for not sharing more information about the crimes with the public.
Goncalves said he spoke with Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt, who told him the students’ deaths were quick, among other details. He also said his daughter’s injuries “definitely did not match” the wounds of fellow victim Madison Mogen. He said his daughter was stabbed in the liver and lungs.
Mabbutt did not immediately return a call from the Idaho Statesman on Monday seeking comment. Neither did Moscow police. Attempts to reach the Goncalves family were unsuccessful.
“They may have individually died from the exact same thing, being stabbed, but there are more details,” Goncalves told Fox. “They’re not even close to matching.”
Detectives have yet to name a suspect or find the weapon used in the attacks that took the lives of U of I seniors Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum, and Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene; junior Xana Kernodle, 20, of Post Falls; and freshman Ethan Chapin, 20, of Mount Vernon, Washington.
Moscow police have repeatedly said they are keeping many details confidential to maintain the integrity of the investigation. Capt. Roger Lanier again explained why in a video posted Monday.
“We’re not releasing specific details, because we do not want to compromise this investigation. It’s what we must do,” Lanier said. “We owe that to the families, and we owe that to the victims. We want more than just an arrest. We want a conviction. We owe that justice to Xana, Kaylee, Madison and Ethan.”
Idaho State Police spokesperson Aaron Snell told the Statesman on Dec. 6 that one of the victims’ families has been more vocal than the rest — a reference to the Goncalveses, who’ve spoken to numerous national news outlets, including Fox News, CNN, the New York Post, ABC News, NBC’s “Today” show and NewsNation.
Steve Goncalves told Fox that the lack of information from law enforcement could pose a threat to the public.
“They’re just being cowards,” Goncalves said of the police. “There are girls walking around the street right now that deserve to know. They should be looking out for a sadistic male.”
Snell said that while the agency empathizes with the pain the families are going through, and the frustration at the lack of information available to the public, which provides space for speculation to flourish as people attempt to fill in the gaps, it’s still a criminal investigation.
“We have not felt the pain that they have felt,” Snell said. “However, as law enforcement, we have to maintain the integrity of the investigation. We cannot provide some of the information that they’re looking for. We just can’t.”
He said police are committed to divulging information that doesn’t hinder the investigation, as well as debunking rumors perpetuated by online sleuths.
Snell said if information is released about the injuries, like various stab wounds and their locations, the integrity of the investigation could be ruined. He said there are family liaisons working to provide the victims’ loved ones with whatever details they can.
“If you’re trying to interview somebody and you have that information (out there), you’ve tainted that information, as well as the potential jury,” Snell said. “You have to be really careful.”
Moscow police said in a news release Friday that the department is monitoring online activity related to the case and is aware of harassing and threatening behavior toward “potentially involved parties.” The release said anyone participating in such actions, whether in person or online, could be subjecting themselves to criminal charges.
