(NewsNation) — Moscow, Idaho Police Chief James Fry told NewsNation in a one-on-one interview that he believes the initial hours of the investigation into the deaths of four college students were handled properly, in response to concerns about the research stability.
The family of one of the victims, Kaylee Goncalves, felt police were quick to rule out some people as suspects in the case and told NewsNation they believe she may have had a stalker. Police have since said they cannot verify that Goncalves had a stalker.
NewsNation’s Brian Entin interviewed Fry on Thursday, asking if he felt the first 48 hours of the investigation were handled properly.
You can watch the full interview between Brian Entin and boss James Fry on Dan Abrams Live Thursday night at 9pm EST (8pm CST).
“I think they were handled correctly,” Fry said. “We secured the scene quickly, we called the state police, we did our due diligence to get the things we needed to do to make this a strong case all the way. We called the state lab to collect evidence and I think it was the initial things that we started and how we did the things that will help bring this to a conclusion.”
Fry said police will continue to withhold information from the public while they continue their investigation.
Critics of the investigation have said the secretive nature of the inquiry has allowed speculation to grow online among true crime detectives, arguing that it may put innocent people at risk and delay the investigation.
The researchers conducted hundreds of interviews and dove into a deluge of tips from the community and across the country.
The Moscow Police Department has been working with federal agencies, which Fry says is common in major cases, dismissing rumors that their presence is a sign that the case has gotten worse.
“I think there is a misconception about how we operate here in Moscow,” Fry said. “We’ve called the ATF in the past, we’ve called the FBI in the past on a lot of these big cases because they have resources that we don’t have, and we want to have the best investigators there.”
Along with federal agents, the Idaho State Police are also part of the investigation into the deaths of Goncalves, 21; Ethan Chapin, 20; Madison Mogen, 21; and Xana Kernodle, 20. They were murdered in a house near the University of Idaho on November 13.
A white Hyundai Elantra has become the focal point of research and public attention. A car that met the description. was identified in Oregon
but investigators have since determined that he is not related to the murders.
Fry asked that people call if they think they have seen the car in question.
“We appreciate all the advice we have received, not just from local Moscow but from the whole country, and we are following all of those,” the chief said.
Information can be sent to detectives in the following ways:
Information line: 208-883-7180
Email: tipline@ci.moscow.id.us