Idaho College Murders: Expert Believes Killer Left DNA Behind, But There's a Problem

The Idaho college residence where the murders took place might complicate the investigation, a police expert believes. The attacker who fatally stabbed four University of Idaho students likely left DNA behind.

The four friends were killed early on November 13 at an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, according to Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD sergeant and adjunct professor at New York's John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Giacalone said on Tuesday that there was "probably a massive amount of evidence" left there.

Expert Expresses Concern Over Idaho College Murders Probe

The rented property, which three of the four victims lived with two other roommates, was apparently described as a "party house" by a neighbor.

Former commanding officer of the Bronx Cold Case Squad and 20-year veteran of the NYPD Giacalone told Insider that if detectives find "so many distinct DNA profiles" at the crime scene, "they're not going to be able to successfully hone in on one single person."

According to the Moscow Police Department and a local coroner, friends Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were assaulted on November 13 after a night out, most likely while they were asleep.

SThe victims, according to the officials, had some defensive wounds. Giacalone said that the victims' fingernails may have included DNA from the suspect.

"You can't tell me that this individual wasn't covered in blood or didn't leave part of his own DNA behind," he said of the suspect, Insider reported.

Police said that 113 pieces of concrete evidence had been gathered, along with nearly 4,000 pictures of the murder scene. The home was also scanned in three dimensions, according to the police.

As the murder investigation enters its third week, no arrests have been made, no motive has been revealed, and no suspects have been publicly identified, leaving the small city on edge and the victims' families furious.

Giacalone declared that the way the case is developing has him "concerned." Giacalone described the manner of the deaths "up close and personal." Police had maintained the students were slain in a "targeted attack" since the beginning of the inquiry, but they recently conceded that they don't know whether the young victims were "targeted."

Idaho College Murder Suspect

Investigators don't always tell which blood belongs to the victims and which may be from a suspect, despite the fact that blood can be a key source of DNA. The same holds true for any more possible hints left behind. Investigators must thus gather several specimens.

According to him, authorities in Idaho may be awaiting the results of forensic investigations, which might take weeks or months to complete. Every day that goes by demotivates the relatives of the victims, increases public irritability, and increases the pressure on the authorities.

Police have also issued contradicting comments about the continued threat to the public and have come under fire from students and the local community for not giving more information about their investigation, particularly why they believe the stabbings were a "targeted attack."

Per NBC News, the relatives and the public may find the lack of information frustrating, but the Moscow police have stated that they do not want to undermine the investigation.

The first step in an investigation into a crime like this is to secure the site, which has probably already been examined by witnesses and the first arriving patrol police, according to experts. Then, detectives take pictures, make notes, and scan objects in 3D to record all they saw.

After that, authorities go around the scene, collecting blood samples, swabbing surfaces for DNA and fingerprints, and searching for hints as to where the blood was discovered. The precise location of each victim, the sequence in which they were slain, and the severity of each of their wounds are only a few of the fundamental facts that have not been made public.

Police said there were no indications of forced entry or property damage, but they have not publicly speculated on how the murderer entered and left the house. None of the victims, according to the investigators, were sexually molested.

The weapon is thought to have been a fixed-blade knife. The state police has positioned more than a dozen investigators and forensic experts to assist Moscow's team of six detectives with testing and analysis, while the FBI has allocated close to 50 investigators to the probe. The police declined to provide a time estimate for the investigation's evidence review or provide further clarifications.

Meanwhile, police looking into the case have stated that there have been widespread rumors about a man who was spotted with two of the victims at a food truck hours before they were slain.

Two surviving housemates who were present when the deaths took place are among the other people police have cleared out, and the other friends who were present when the 911 call was made are not thought to be suspects.

Goncalves' former long-term boyfriend, with whom she shared a dog, and the unidentified individual who later provided the duo with a ride home from the truck were both ruled out as potential suspects, as per The Independent.

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