U of I students found dead, three from Kootenai County

COEUR d’ALENE — Three Kootenai County college students were among the four who were found dead Sunday in an apartment near the University of Idaho campus.

Moscow police have released few details about the deaths, which are being investigated as homicides. Authorities do not believe there is an active threat to the community. No suspects were in custody Monday afternoon.

Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum, was a senior majoring in general studies. She graduated from Lake City High School in 2019.

Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, was a senior majoring in marketing. She was also a 2019 Lake City High School graduate.

Xana Kernodle, 20, of Post Falls, was a junior majoring in marketing and a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority. She graduated from Post Falls High School in 2020, where she played volleyball and ran track.

Ethan Chapin, 20, of Mount Vernon, Wash., was a freshman majoring in recreation, sport and tourism management and a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.

“The loss of our graduates, Madison and Kaylee, is heartbreaking,” Shon Hocker, Coeur d’Alene School District Superintendent, said in a statement issued Monday. “We join the University of Idaho community in mourning the tragic loss of all four students.”

Moscow police reported in a news release that officers discovered the deaths just before noon Sunday when they responded to a report of an unconscious person in an apartment on King Road. The deceased students were discovered at the scene.

No cause of death has been reported.

The university advised students to shelter in place for about an hour after the bodies were found, until authorities determined there was no active threat.

Idaho State Police is assisting with the investigation.

“Words cannot adequately describe the light these students brought to this world or ease the depth of suffering we feel at their passing under these tragic circumstances,” university President C. Scott Green said in a message to the college community Monday. “No one feels that loss more than their families and friends.”

Classes were canceled Monday out of respect for the victims.

A candlelight vigil is scheduled for Wednesday at 5 p.m. on the university’s Administration Building lawn.

“As Vandals, we come together and support one another through challenging times, leaning into our collective strength,” Green said. “Look out for one another now.”

Local and state leaders shared messages of sympathy as word of the deaths spread.

“This tragedy serves as a sobering reminder that senseless acts of violence can occur anywhere, at any time, and we are not immune from such events here in our community,” Moscow Mayor Art Bettge said in a news release.

U.S. Representative Mike Simpson wrote on Twitter that he and his wife, Kathy Simpson, sent their deepest condolences to the families of the deceased students.

“Our hearts ache for your loss,” he wrote. “Today we are all Vandals.”

Investigators have asked anyone with information related to the incident to contact Moscow police at 208.882.2677.