(NewsNation) — New details have emerged in the case of four University of Idaho students murdered in their off-campus rental home on November 13 in Moscow.
A county coroner’s preliminary report determined 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.
Detectives now know of a sixth person listed on the home’s lease. As of Thursday night, Moscow police do not believe the person on the lease was there at the time of the fatal stabbings.
Police will not share exactly where the victims are located inside the rental home that is now a crime scene. But based on pictures of the interior, reviewed by NewsNation, it appears there are two bedrooms on the first floor with a bathroom in between. The second floor also appears to have two bedrooms and another bathroom. On the third floor, there are two bedrooms and another bathroom. According to investigators, the murders occurred on the second and third floors of the home.
Moscow police say they remain steadfast in their belief that the incident was a “targeted attack.” Investigators have not determined if the target was the house or the people who lived there.
Police issued a clarification on the matter, saying there was an “internal communication miscommunication” after Latah County, Idaho, District Attorney Bill Thompson told NewsNation it wasn’t necessarily a victim who was at the point. look, but rather the house itself.
“It is my understanding that investigators believe whoever was responsible was specifically looking at this particular residence,” Thompson said Tuesday.
Morgan Romero, host for KTVB in Boise, tweeted on Wednesday night that Thompson confirmed that one of the victims in the house was, in fact, the target of the murders. It is unclear which student he was referring to, but police insist conflicting information has been released.
The Moscow Police Department claimed Thursday night that they are “the only provider of official information” on the case.
The Moscow community continues to mourn the students killed in the stabbings, as the investigation has not seen much apparent progress. No suspects or persons of interest in the case have been publicly identified.
Investigators are still looking for context and clues in the quadruple murder case. Information can be sent to detectives in the following ways:
Information Line: 208-883-7180
Email: tipline@ci.moscow.id.us
Digital media: fbi.gov/moscowidaho
NewsNation has been covering this story from the beginning and will continue its investigation in a special hour on Sunday. National correspondent Brian Entin will host “Special Report: Idaho Murder Mystery” on December 4 at 9 pm ET on NewsNation. This is how you can look.