Law enforcement has disclosed further details regarding the killings of the four University of Idaho students this past weekend.
On Sunday (November 13), the bodies of four university students were found in an apartment complex south of campus in Moscow, Idaho.
While no murder weapons have been recovered, investigators believe that each victim died of stab wounds from an "edged weapon such as a knife," police said on Tuesday, per the Independent.
Furthermore, the Moscow Police Department captain, Anthony Dahlinger, revealed to the Idaho Statesman that all four deaths have been ruled as homicides, clarifying: "We certainly have a crime here, so we are looking for a suspect."
Police identified the victims on Monday (November 14) as Ethan Chapin, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21.
According to the DailyMail, a police source revealed that the crime scene was "the worst they’ve ever seen" as the victims were left to bleed out following the harrowing early morning attack.
The outlet added that one of the victims - understood to be Chapin - was discovered on the floor on the second level of the three-story home.
Due to the magnitude of the crime, on November 15, authorities collected contents of trash cans close to the home as part of the search for the murder weapon used in the slayings.
The garbage was taken to a local waste depot where hazmat-suited police officers were seen filtering through the garbage bags in a screened-off shed.
The new developments come after a day after the mayor of Moscow, Art Bettge, described the investigation as "a crime of passion" in an interview with the New York Times.
However, later, Bettege told the Statesman that he was simply suggesting that the offense was one possible scenario, explaining: "It could be any of a number of things. The police don’t know yet. I haven’t been told."
The mayor also revealed that officials have told him that there was no active threat to the community based on the crime scene, adding: "I would say it was just a crime focused on this one location."
As reported by the New York Post, the police department seemingly mirrored the mayor's words and said that "investigators believe this was an isolated, targeted attack and there is no imminent threat to the community at large".
Also, the Moscow Police Department said no arrests have been made so far and said that they are being assisted by investigators from the Idaho State Police as well as "other State and Federal law enforcement partners," per the Daily Mail.
Following the deadly attack, the University of Idaho canceled all classes on Monday (November 14) and said additional security staffers would be available to walk students across campus.
According to AP News, the university president, Scott Green, also shared a message to students following the strategy, that read: "Words cannot adequately describe the light these students brought to this world or ease the depth of suffering we feel at their passing under these tragic circumstances."
Our thoughts go out to all the victims' families and friends at this time.
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