Idaho murders update: Cops say they've received huge influx of tips about white ... trends now

Idaho murders update: Cops say they've received huge influx of tips about white ... trends now
Idaho murders update: Cops say they've received huge influx of tips about white ... trends now

Idaho murders update: Cops say they've received huge influx of tips about white ... trends now

Police investigating the murders of four University of Idaho students have received such an influx of tips related to their search of a white sedan spotted near the crime scene that they've enlisted in an FBI call center for help.

This comes just days after the Moscow Police Department scaled back their probe and removed a quarter of the officers assigned to the case, while insisting that it is still the lead agency. 

Due to the amount of tips coming in, calls are now being directed to an FBI call center to help process the information, according to the latest police update.

Police said a 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra was spotted 'in the immediate area' of the off-campus house where the students were stabbed to death in the early morning hours of November 13.  

Thousands of tips are being sorted, but as the investigation entered its fourth consecutive week, police have yet to identify a suspect in the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Maddie Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20.

Police have been inundated with tips related to their search for a 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra sedan that was spotted near the off-campus house where four students were killed on Nov 13

Police have been inundated with tips related to their search for a 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra sedan that was spotted near the off-campus house where four students were killed on Nov 13

Calls with tips will be sent to the FBI calling center to help process the information about the students murdered. Those killed in the November slayings were (left to right) Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen (on Kaylee's shoulders), Ethan Chapin, and Xana Kernodle

Calls with tips will be sent to the FBI calling center to help process the information about the students murdered. Those killed in the November slayings were (left to right) Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen (on Kaylee's shoulders), Ethan Chapin, and Xana Kernodle

'The global call center has the resources to take those calls, categorize them, and send them on to investigators so they can utilize those tips in the investigation,' the department said.

Police first received information about the vehicle from the more than 6,000 tips received in the case, since the murders 

'Investigators believe the occupant(s) of this vehicle may have critical information to share regarding this case,' according to the police statement, which also noted that the car had an unknown license plate.

The Moscow Police Department is leading the investigation with assistance from the Idaho State Police, the Latah County Sheriff's Office and the FBI, but scaled back the number of officers on the case to just six detectives with five support staff members.

They are being backed by 48 FBI agents and at least 30 Idaho State Police officers plus a separate forensics unit. 

However, the department insists it is still the lead agency after it received $1million from the state to expand the manhunt — which now enters its fourth consecutive week without any suspects.

The move to downsize the investigation comes after officers were able to remove the victims' personal belongings from their King Street home in the quiet town of Moscow, which they say remains an 'active crime scene.'

The victims - three women and one man - were found on November 13 inside the student house the three women shared

The victims - three women and one man - were found on November 13 inside the student house the three women shared

The move to downsize the investigation comes after officers were able to remove the victims' personal belongings from their King Street home, which remains an 'active crime scene'

The move to downsize the investigation comes after officers were able to remove the victims' personal belongings from their King Street home, which remains an 'active crime scene'

The police chief of the town where four University of Idaho students were brutally stabbed to death appeared unaware of the report that the front door of the house was allegedly wide open hours after the killings. Speaking to DailyMail.com on Thursday Police Chief James Frye (pictured) said the report was 'news to him'

The police chief of the town where four University of Idaho students were brutally stabbed to death appeared unaware of the report that the front door of the house was allegedly wide open hours after the killings. Speaking to DailyMail.com on Thursday Police Chief James Frye (pictured) said the report was 'news to him'

Moscow Police Chief James Fry (left) assisted with the removal of personal property

Moscow Police Chief James Fry (left) assisted with the removal of personal property

The victims - three women and one man - were found on November 13 inside the student house the three women shared.

Police have said that they believe the murders happened between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. on that morning.

A neighbor said that the front door, which gives access to the floor where two of the victims' roommates were staying - was open at 8:30 a.m. on November 13.

But speaking to DailyMail.com this week at the city's Christmas parade, police chief James Frye said the report - in which a neighbor noticed the door wide open 8:30 am the morning after - was news to him.

Frye could neither confirm nor deny whether the door was, in fact, left open. It was previously stated the house had no visible signs of any break-in. 'I'm not even sure where that came from, to be quite honest,' Frye, chief since 2016, said.

The Moscow Police Department said earlier it is probing the movements of Chapin and Kernodle, who visited the frat house, where Ethan was a member, hours before the murders.

Police believe Ethan and Xana visited the Sigma Chi house from about 9pm on November 12 until around 1.45am, when they returned to Xana's off-campus home, just a brief walk away, where the murders took place.

Ofsthun confirmed he had known Xana as a friend, and that Ethan was a member of the frat. He said there were no cameras in the Sigma Chi house that might aid the investigation.

Ethan and Xana, 20-year-olds who were dating, were stabbed to death along with Xana's roommates Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen, both 21, in the home they shared, likely while they were sleeping. Police still have no suspects and no murder weapon.

Earlier appeals to the public had focused on Kaylee and Madison's activities on the night of the murders, which involved stops at a sports bar and a food truck.

Moscow Police said on Monday it is probing the movements of victims Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle (together above), who visited Ethan's fraternity house hours before the murders

Moscow Police said on Monday it is probing the movements of

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