(NewsNation) — Authorities announced Tuesday that there is no evidence related to Idaho murder victim Kaylee Goncalves having a stalker.
After looking through “hundreds of pieces of information related to this topic,” authorities said in a news release that they have not been able to identify a stalker, or even to verify that one existed.
Authorities also clarified in the news release that the type of knife used in the attacks is believed to be a fix-blade knife. However, detectives continue to look for the weapon.
All four victims were members of fraternities and sororities: seniors Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, junior Xana Kernodle, and freshman Ethan Chapin. The women were roommates and Chapin was dating Kernodle.
The parents of one of the Idaho murder victims reportedly said that police have collected a lot of evidence from the house and that they believe the killer was “sloppy,” and “left behind a mess.”
Forensic analyst Joseph Scott Morgan joined “Banfield” on Tuesday night to explain how authorities might deal with DNA that they find from the crime scene.
“If they find a bit of DNA that’s associated with the perpetrator, the first stop is they’re going to plug this profile into the CODA system, which has all the sex offenders that are out there,” Morgan told “Banfield.”
Police also say they believe the attack was targeted, which is a major concern for the public. During an appearance on “Banfield,” Chris Anderson, a homicide detective and fugitive unit supervisor, broke down what major factors lead police to believe such information.
The most important reasons Anderson noted were victim placement, how many injuries occurred, and the fact that the weapon appears to be the same one used on all victims.
“Just finding someone’s DNA inside of that house does not mean that they are the killer. It’s very, very fragile. So we have to be careful in how we talk about and utilize that DNA because it could lead to some of the wrongful convictions that we’ve seen,” Anderson added.
Moscow Police Chief James Fry said authorities have received nearly 650 tips and conducted 90 interviews so far. Police have also requested businesses and residences in specific parts of the city to share with them footage recorded between 3 and 6 a.m. on the day of the killings.
Additionally, the city of Moscow has set up a new webpage with information on resources related to the investigation. There will be a news conference at 1 p.m. local time Wednesday.