Idaho police have named two people as suspects in connection with a “stalker report” by slain University of Idaho student Kaylee Goncalves on Monday.
Moscow City Police Department investigators identified an incident at a local business in mid-October that “may have been (Goncalves) stalking friends and family.” Two men were seen at the unnamed business, and when they parted ways, one of them appeared to have followed Goncalves into his car after he left, police said.
But “the male appeared to have turned away and made no contact with her,” police said in a Monday news release.
Detectives contacted both men and told them they were trying to meet women at the business. Their story was corroborated by further investigations, police said.
“Based on available information, investigators believe that this was an isolated incident and not an ongoing pursuit,” Moscow police said.
“There is no evidence to suggest that the two men were involved in the murder.”
But authorities said they would continue to investigate whether Goncalves had a stalker as they again appealed to the public for any information in the murders of him and three other University of Idaho students.
A week after the murders, the police – said the investigators was aware of reports that Goncalves had a stalker, but was unable to verify or identify him after reviewing “hundreds of pieces of information.”
So far, detectives have received 2,645 email tips, 2,770 phone tips and more than 1,000 digital messages as the killer or killers of Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Hana Kernodle and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin remain on the loose. The gruesome discovery of four stabbed bodies on November 13 rocked a small college town.
Cops also identified Goncalves’ dog. found inside a house off campus where there were four murders, there was no evidence of it. The pet was located in a non-crime area, police said, and there was no indication the puppy entered the crime scene.
“The dog was inside the house when the officers arrived,” Moscow police said. “The dog’s whereabouts at the time of the murders have not been determined.”
Detectives are still seeking information linking Chapin and Kernodle, who police believe were at the Sigma Chi frat house about the incident between 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12 and 1:45 a.m. the next morning.
The FBI and state police are also involved in the high-profile homicide investigation, amid growing protests from the victims’ families. Moscow police condemned the rumors for “covering up public fears and spreading false information.”
“Law enforcement agencies have not disclosed additional facts to the family or the public,” Moscow police said, referring to the ongoing investigation. “We recognize that this is frustrating and that speculation is rampant in the absence of facts.
“However, we strongly believe that rumors and unverified information are damaging to victims, their families and our community.”