University of Idaho Murders

The 2022 World Cup is everything everyone is talking about, and as it only happens every four years and spans over a number of weeks, naturally other news is deemed not as entertaining. However, there are multiple tragedies around the country occurring that deserve to be talked about, including the shooting of a LGBTQ Nightclub and the murder of four friends in Idaho. On November 13th, four University of Idaho students, Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Concalves, Xana Kernodle, and Madison Mogen were found stabbed to death in an off-campus house near the university (Yang 2022). Currently, police are unable to identify a motive or name any suspects, asking for any information that anyone can provide to help them narrow down the crime. 

The case has gained traction because of a lack of clues and leads, leaving the community feeling endangered with a murderer on the loose. With no concrete leads, the FBI is using an internet link where users can submit any tips they may have. As of Friday, more than 260 digital media submissions have been submitted by community members. Additionally, investigators have looked into over 1,000 tips and have interviewed more than 150 people, and still have not been able to draft a solid suspect list. Detectives are also seeking any available outside surveillance videos especially ones that are evident of suspicious behavior. 

 

Social media and true crime fanatics have taken it upon themselves to try and put the evidence together themselves. Due to interaction with videos pertaining the crime, my TikTok For You Page has become full of people at home trying to solve the crime. Not only are the comments of the TikTok videos full of self-proclaimed detectives, but the Instagram comment sections of the victims are also full of people accusing the roommates of the victims, who were notably, also in the home at the time, but were left unharmed. Social media is definitely playing a part in the number of tips that police have received as they are taking any bit of information they see online and are running with it. With the lack of clues and suspects, this could prove to be helpful.