After four of their peers were brutally slain in their beds, many others are choosing not to return to the University of Idaho, with between 25 and 40 per cent of the total student body estimated to be staying away.
The school in the city of Moscow was left reeling after the unsolved murder of four students in a shared university house.
Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20 and Ethan Chapin were found dead in their campus accommodation on November 13.
No arrests have been made in connection to the slaughter.
In the wake of the killing students were told they can study from home as many were left feeling unsafe.
Image:
Ted S Warren/AP/REX/Shutterstock)President Scott Green said that officials are prioritising student safety after the deaths.
Green confirmed the university has "ramped up our security safety practices" and said they would accommodate students who do or do not wish to be on campus.
In a video released November 26, Mr Green said: "We have heard from students with varied needs.
"Some are not comfortable being back in Moscow until a suspect is in custody. Others are asking for in-person classes and the structure that life on campus brings."
Image:
Ted S Warren/AP/REX/Shutterstock)Jodi Walker, executive director of communications for the University of Idaho, most recently estimate that between 60-75 per cent of students are still on campus citing "faculty feedback and residence hall numbers".
In October 2022 the student body stood at 11,507 people which means between 2,880 and 4,600 students are off campus.
A university spokesperson told Fox News Digital the school was "not tracking" which students have chosen not to return.
The coroner stated the four victims were likely asleep while some had defensive wounds, and each was stabbed multiple times.
Image:
Instagram)Image:
Instagram)There was no sign of sexual assault.
Frustration has grown among the community and especially the family of the students killed over the progress made by investigators and what is being shared by police.
Cara Denise Northington, mum of Xana Kernodle, tearfully shared that the police were telling her very little about the progress of the investigation:“I learned more on the news and on TV than they have said to me,” she said.
“I think they have information that they’re not giving us. And it’s real fishy. That’s what I will say.”
Alivea Goncalves, Kaylee’s sister, agreed that the police had not been very forthcoming with information: “A few of the names that have been circulating around.
Image:
Instagram)"I think it’s hard not to dig into this and I don’t know how much of that is we have so little information from law enforcement, and how much of it is really a sister or a father’s intuition,”she said.
Police have defended their position saying in a statement: "With the active criminal investigation, law enforcement has not released additional facts to the family or the public.
"We recognize the frustration this causes and that speculation proliferates in the absence of facts. However, we firmly believe speculation and unvetted information is a disservice to the victims, their families, and our community.
"The Moscow Police Department is committed to providing information whenever possible but not at the expense of compromising the investigation and prosecution."
