Police investigating the murders of four University of Idaho students confirmed that they are investigating an abandoned car found in Oregon.
Moscow police said Tuesday they found the white Hyundai Elantra that they identified as a vehicle of interest nearly two weeks ago in Eugene, Oregon.
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University of Idaho students Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, were stabbed in the chest and upper body and killed in bed with a large knife on Nov. 13 between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m.
Police alerted the public on Dec. 7 that they were seeking any information relating to a 2011-2013 white Hyundai Elantra that was captured on surveillance video footage during the time of death. They had not released any significant updates on the Elantra until Tuesday.
The Eugene Police Department confirmed to Fox News that about 450 miles away from Moscow, it had discovered an abandoned and damaged white Hyundai Elantra after someone called 911 to report that someone was sleeping inside the car at 5:19 a.m. The occupant is homeless and does not own the car, police said.
“We have no information to indicate it is related to the Moscow, Idaho, case,” a spokesperson for the Eugene Police Department said. “However, they were sent the vehicle information so they have it to review.”
Moscow police confirmed in a press release that they are “definitely aware of the vehicle and investigators are currently working on it.”
Police in Idaho had been combing through a list of 20,000 registered Hyundai Elantras that fit the search criteria, per press releases.
“Even though there’s sometimes a fascination with the particular case, some people simply don’t see the news and may not know that we’re looking for it,” Moscow Police Capt. Roger Lanier said in a video posted on YouTube last week. “Maybe your neighbor has one in the garage that they don’t drive very often, and maybe there’s one that’s just not on the registration database: Let us know.”
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The Elantra being found is the most solid piece of evidence to come out of the homicide case as police release limited details because they say they don’t want to damage their investigation.
The clue has gained widespread attention, with some former criminal experts and police officers offering their opinions on law enforcement’s decisions regarding the vehicle of interest.
