Two of the four killed Idaho students made panicked calls before murder

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By Phoebe Egoroff

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Two of the four Idaho University students who were brutally murdered this month allegedly made panicked calls to their friend before their deaths, multiple sources have reported.

The bodies of the young men and women - Ethan Chapin, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21 - were discovered in an off-campus student home in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13, per a previous report.

At the time the police - who attended the scene following emergency calls - mentioned that two female students were present during the time of the discovery and that they could hold "the key to this whole thing."

County Prosecutor Bill Thompson told NBC News: "The investigators continue to work hard trying to interview everyone who might have any information, and hopefully figure out and identify what occurred and why and who is responsible."

The autopsy report showed that all four students had been fatally stabbed as they awoke with a "large knife," according to a statement from Latah County Coroner Catherine Mabbutt.

Now, more information has been released that reveals Kaylee and Madison had both attempted to phone a friend named Jack - who never answered - mere hours before their grisly murder, per The Independent.

The two surviving roommates were believed to have also been asleep at the time of the quadruple homicide, with police stating they don't believe the pair participated in the deaths. It was revealed a 911 call was not made until nine hours after the murders had occurred.

"There was blood everywhere. We have investigators who have been on the job for 20, even 30, years, and they say they have never seen anything like this," a police source told The Daily Mail of the murders.

In fact, most disturbingly, the victims were left to bleed out following the brutal attack, with blood oozing through the walls of their rented student home.

City of Moscow Police Chief James Fry stated in a press conference about the murders: "We cannot say that there is no threat to the community and as we have stated, please stay vigilant, report any suspicious activity and be aware of your surroundings at all times," though he reinforced the fact that they believe the murders were an isolated attack, per The New York Post.

Currently, police have not yet named a suspect but did reveal that 25 investigators are working on the case.

The father of one of the victims told Fox News that Idaho University's silence on the situation has further compounded the family's "agony," stating: "There is a lack of information from the University of Idaho and the local police, which only fuels false rumors and innuendo in the press and social media."

"The silence further compounds our family's agony after our son's murder. For Ethan and his three dear friends slain in Moscow, Idaho, and all of our families, I urge officials to speak the truth, share what they know, find the assailant, and protect the greater community," he added.

Thompson has since told NBC News: "To my knowledge, there is nothing to indicate that this has been determined to be a crime of passion. We know it's a horrible crime and four young lives have been lost."

Our thoughts are with the families and friends of Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Kaylee Goncalves at this tragic time.

Featured image credit: Witold Skrypczak / Alamy