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Father Of Slain Idaho College Student Kaylee Goncalves Said ‘Means Of Death Don’t Match’ Between Victims
Kaylee Goncalves' injuries were reportedly “significantly more brutal” than those of her best friend Madison Mogen, who had been sleeping in the same bed next to her, according to reports.
The father of slain University of Idaho student Kaylee Goncalves said his daughter and fellow victim Madison Mogen, who had been sleeping beside her at the time of the attack, had different injuries.
“I’ll cut to the chase — their means of death don’t match,” Steve Goncalves told Fox News on Saturday.
Steve told the news outlet that there were differences in the women’s deaths, though he didn't share specifics.
“Their points of damage don’t match,” he continued. “I’m just going to say it. It wasn’t leaked to me. I earned that. I paid for that funeral…I sent my daughter to college. She came back in a box, and I can speak to that.”
According to NewsNation, the family said Kaylee’s injuries were “significantly more brutal” than Mogen's.
Oxygen.com reached out to Moscow Police to confirm the claims, but did not receive an immediate response.
The two college roommates, along with Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were found stabbed to death in an off-campus rental home on Nov. 13.
Moscow Police have said publicly that all four victims were “likely asleep” when they were stabbed “multiple times” on the second- and third-floors of the home. Some of the victims showed signs of “defensive wounds,” though they haven't stated who.
While police have provided conflicting statements about whether or not the victims were targeted, they appeared to clarify their stance in a statement Saturday.
“We have not changed our belief that the murders were a targeted attack. However, investigators have not concluded if the target was the residence or its occupants,” police said.
Investigators have also “looked extensively” into tips they received that Kaylee had a stalker.
“They have pursued hundreds of pieces of information related to this topic but have not verified or identified a stalker,” police said of investigators’ efforts so far.
Steve speculated on a Sunday interview with “Fox & Friends” that the location of the bodies could also suggest that the killer may have been targeting a specific individual. Two surviving roommates had been asleep on the first floor of the house at the time of the killings. Chapin and Kernodle were found on the home’s second floor where the attacker potentially entered, while Mogen and Kaylee were found on the third floor.
"I'm not a professional, so I want to specify that, but they've said the entry point was the slider or the window. It was the middle floor. So, to me, he doesn't have to go upstairs," Steve told the news outlet. "His entry and exit are available without having to go upstairs or downstairs. Looks like he probably may have not gone downstairs. We don't know that for sure, but he obviously went upstairs. So I'm using logic that he chose to go up there when he didn't have to."
He went on to add that the lack of an arrest in the case, as well as what he considers poor communication with the victims’ families, have left him questioning the police efforts, prompting him to speak out about his concerns.
"I do not feel confident," he told “Fox & Friends.” "And that's why I push the envelope and say a little bit more. I hate to be that guy, but, you know…everybody has a job and a role to play and this is my role as the parent."
While Steve admitted he “probably over-disclosed information” to the media in the case, he said he felt compelled to speak out because the story is “going cold” as weeks pass by.
“There’s less people coming to Moscow,” he said. “I’m not going to go to sleep in my bed knowing that I could get up and I could go to town and I could do something, and I’m not going to go away.”
Steve added that the police have reportedly ruled out a number of individuals as suspects, but he wants insight into their decision, telling NewsNation, "I don’t know what would prevent you from sharing someone’s alibi."
Aaron Snell, a spokesman for the Idaho State Police, told The New York Times investigators are making progress in the investigation.
“We may not have identified a suspect yet, but we are getting a clearer picture of what happened,” he said.
Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact the tip line at 208-883-7180 or email tipline@ci.moscow.id.us.
