Police investigating the killings of 4 University of Idaho students now say they don't know if the victims were targeted in the attack

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Police investigating the killings of 4 University of Idaho students now say they don't know if the victims were targeted in the attack
Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle were killed in a off-campus apartment in Moscow, Idaho.Instagram
  • Police probing the killings of the four Idaho students are not sure if the victims were "targeted."
  • Detectives don't know if the "residence or any occupants" were targeted, Moscow police said.
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Authorities investigating the brutal stabbing deaths of the four University of Idaho students now say they don't know whether the young victims were "targeted" as the killer remains on the loose nearly three weeks after the attack.

The Moscow Police Department said in a statement posted to Facebook on Wednesday that detectives "do not currently know if the residence or any occupants were specifically targeted but continue to investigate."

In a Thursday statement to Insider, the department clarified further: "We remain consistent in our belief that this was indeed a targeted attack but have not concluded if the target was the residence or its occupants."

In the aftermath of the November 13 slayings at a rental home in the small city of Moscow, Idaho, police repeatedly described the killings as an "isolated, targeted attack" but never offered up details as to why investigators believed that.

Latah County prosecuting attorney Bill Thompson told NewsNation in an interview on Tuesday that the word "targeted" probably isn't the best word to use."

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"My understanding is that the investigators believe that whoever is responsible was specifically looking at this particular residence, but that's all that they can offer at this point," Thompson said.

Thompson added that part of the murder investigation "is trying to determine who might have been the target."

In its Wednesday statement posted to Facebook, the Moscow Police Department said, "Conflicting information has been released over the past 24 hours."

"The Latah County Prosecutor's Office stated the suspect(s) specifically looked at this residence, and that one or more of the occupants were undoubtedly targeted," Moscow police said.

The department explained, "We have spoken with the Latah County Prosecutor's Office and identified this was a miscommunication."

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The Moscow Police Department told Insider on Thursday that it made the clarification to directly address Thompson's comments, but said that investigators still believe the killings to be a "targeted attack."

The Latah County Prosecutor's Office did not immediately return a request for comment by Insider on Thursday.

Police have said that friends Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were stabbed to death in the early morning hours inside an off-campus home near the University of Idaho following a night out.

The three women shared the home with roommates, who police have determined were not involved in the killings.

A local coroner said the four students were likely attacked while they were sleeping.

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The killer responsible for the slayings still has not been caught, and authorities have not identified a suspect, leaving the city on edge.

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