Two roommates were inside the home where four University of Idaho students were brutally murdered on Sunday but the 911 call wasn't made until nine hours, Moscow police said on Wednesday, and cautioned the community to "watch out for each other" as they confirmed that they are yet to identify the killer or killers or find out the murder weapon.
Moscow police had earlier said that there is no immediate threat to the neighborhood but they backtracked on their earlier claims at a press conference on Wednesday saying that the killer or killers of the students are "still out there" with few leads on a suspect.
Chilling New Revelations
According to City of Moscow Police Chief James Fry, there were at least two other roommates inside the home with the four Idaho University students who were slaughtered. He also said that the two were inside the home when police responded to a call of an unconscious person and discovered a gory slaying described as "the worst they've ever seen."
However, the 911 call was not made until nine hours after the four students were murdered.
The three women have been identified as 20-year-old Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and 21-year-old Kaylee Goncalves.
The man, 20-year-old Ethan Chapin, was Kernodle's boyfriend, who lived with them.
The most recent revelation came at a press conference held by police and school officials, where Fry also changed his initial statement that the public was not in danger following the quadruple homicide that stressed how concerned the community should be about an ongoing threat.
"There is still someone out there who committed four horrible, horrible crimes," said Fry, making clear that there were more people inside the house at the time of the murder and they are still at large.
"We all have to be aware of our surroundings, and make sure we're watching out for each other."
Fry stated that they think the incident was "targeted," but added, "We need to be aware." "The individual is still out there."
"We cannot say 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," he added.
Fry said police were still seeking a suspect or suspects responsible for the gruesome scene. A murder weapon or motive has not been found. There was no sign of forced entry.
Mystery Deepens
Reporters pushed Fry to tell what the roommates said during the 911 call during the news conference, but Fry declined to comment on them at this stage of the investigation. Fry also refused to say who called 911 regarding an unconscious person, which led cops to locate and find the bodies of the students.
The call was made around noon, said Fry, hours after the students were believed to have been killed.
"The report that we got was that there was an unconscious individual," said Fry, addressing a press conference on Wednesday evening.
"It wasn't until our officers got onto the scene, to do a wellness check, that we found the scene we found." Autopsies were set for Wednesday, Fry said.
Police, according to Fry, are unaware of the suspect's identify, whereabouts, the whereabouts of the murder weapon, or any clothing that the suspect may have been wearing.
Moscow police have described the scene as one of the most horrific and sickening they have ever seen, with four young students left inside the house to bleed to death. The case has been assigned to 25 personnel from the FBI, Idaho State Police, and Moscow Police Department.
The revelation that two other roommates were inside the house during the time of the murders came on the day a chilling new video emerged showing a mystery man lingering nearby at least two of the four University of Idaho students, hours before they were slaughtered.
The video shows a man following after the two women – Mogen and Goncalves -- and lingering close by as they talk and check their cellphones. The two women then stumble toward the truck, order a plate of carbonara pasta, and wait for 10 minutes between 1.33 am and 1.43 am on Sunday morning.
The girls appeared to be approaching the vehicle from the opposite side of the street, and when they got there, the young, unidentified man joined them.
The unidentified man then watches from a distance as Goncalves places the order for dinner, then waits with the girls until they get it.
At 1.53 a.m., the women walk away in one direction, leaving the young man at the food truck talking to others. He turned to face them, astonished that they had left, but was afterward seen strolling around the corner and away from them.
Two hours later, both Mogen and Goncalves were murdered along with roommates Xana Kernodle, 20, and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin, who was spending the night at the home the girls shared.
