(NewsNation) — The Moscow Police Department has issued a clarification regarding statements the Latah County Prosecutor’s Office shared regarding the murders of Idaho students.
Morgan Romero, host for KTVB in Boise, tweeted
On Wednesday night, Latah County, Idaho District Attorney Bill Thompson confirmed that one of the victims in the home was, in fact, the target of the murders. It is not clear which student he was referring to.
On Tuesday night, Thompson told NewsNation’s Brian Entin that the target wasn’t necessarily a person, but rather the house itself.
Moscow police said the prosecutor has published conflicting information in the past 24 hours.
“The Latah County Prosecutor’s Office stated that the suspects specifically observed this residence and that one or more of the occupants was undoubtedly attacked,” Moscow police said. “We have spoken with the Latah County District Attorney’s Office and identified that this was a miscommunication. Detectives do not currently know if the residence or the occupants were targeted specifically, but are continuing to investigate.”
The Moscow police statement comes on the heels of community members gathering at the University of Idaho to remember the four students who were stabbed to death in an off-campus rental house on November 13.
A county coroner made a preliminary determination that the students identified as Ethan Chapin, 20; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, all died of stab wounds and were likely asleep at the time of their murders.
At the vigil, Kaylee’s father revealed that Kaylee and her best friend, Madison, were murdered together in the same bedroom and on the same bed.
“These girls were absolutely beautiful. They were friends since sixth grade. We both put them in a charter academy; they felt they were being punished. In the sixth grade, they just met. And every day they did homework together, they came to our house together. They shared everything. They made a proposal to go to a regular high school, so they later went to high school together. So they started looking for colleges. They came here together. They eventually arrived at the same apartment together. In the end, they died together in the same room, in the same bed. It’s a shame, and it hurts. But the beauty of the two of them always being together is something that comforts us,” said Steve Goncalves.
The Moscow community continues to mourn the students killed in the stabbings, as the investigation has seen little apparent progress. No suspect or person of interest has been publicly identified in the case.