You can tell that people in Moscow are jittery.
The Moscow Police Department has received an increase of welfare check requests and reports of unusual circumstances, according to a news release provided by the department Sunday.
Since the murder of four University of Idaho students Nov. 13, police have gotten 78 calls for unusual circumstances compared to 70 for all of October. There have been 38 requests for welfare checks, compared to 18 in October.
“As officers respond to these incidents, they find that concerned parties call friends and family before notifying the police,” the news release said. “For life-safety and emergencies, we want to remind our community to call 9-1-1 before notifying family or friends. For non-emergency assistance, please call (208) 882-2677 (COPS).”
I’m not sure of the circumstances here. If my brother lived near my mother in a distant city, and I was concerned about her wellbeing, I would call him first.
Not much new information about the murders was provided Sunday. No suspects have been identified and the murder weapon hasn’t been found. Police did say that “digit evidence” now shows that Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves returned to the King Road residence at 1:56 a.m. on the night of the murders rather than the estimated time of 1:45 a.m.
The community has uploaded around 488 digital media submissions to the FBI link concerning the case, according to the news release.
The University of Idaho will host a candlelight vigil at 5 p.m. Wednesday on the UI’s Moscow campus and 6 p.m. on Boise’s UI campus to commemorate Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves.
For life-safety and emergencies, the community can call 9-1-1, or for non-emergency assistance people can call (208)882-2677.
To submit information related to this case, call the tip line at (208)883-7180, email at [email protected] or visit the FBI’s webpage at fbi.gov/moscowidaho.
Pearce can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @Emily_A_Pearce