It’s a question that has haunted true crime followers since the very beginning: could the Idaho student murders have ended differently if 911 had been called sooner? Now, the family of one victim is speaking out with what the coroner reportedly told them — and the answer is painfully clear.
Nearly eight hours slipped by before anyone called police after four University of Idaho students were stabbed to death in a Moscow rental home back in November 2022. During those long hours, surviving roommate Dylan Mortensen reportedly saw a masked man walk right past her in the hallway. She and fellow roommate Bethany Funke eventually alerted authorities, but the delay has sparked endless questions.
In the new Netflix documentary “The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare,” Kaylee Goncalves’ parents, Kristi and Steve Goncalves, opened up about the conversation they had with the coroner after their daughter was killed alongside Maddie Mogen, Ethan Chapin, and Xana Kernodle.
Steve recalled asking directly whether anyone could have been saved that night. His wife Kristi shared the heartbreaking response: the answer was no.
Authorities allege that Bryan Kohberger — a man with no known ties to the victims — entered the home just after 4 a. m. on Nov.
13, 2022, carrying a 7-inch KaBar knife. According to court documents, Kaylee and Maddie were both found in a third-floor bedroom, lying in the same bed.
The injuries described in police records are difficult to read. Maddie reportedly had a deep gash running from her eye to her nose, while Kaylee’s facial structure was so badly damaged that she was reportedly unrecognizable.
Xana is believed to have encountered the attacker before being chased into her bedroom, where she was stabbed more than 50 times, according to documents. Ethan, authorities say, had a laceration to his neck and was killed while sleeping in Xana’s bed.
Dylan, who lived on the same floor as Xana, later told police in body camera footage that she was heading to sleep when she heard a scream followed by the words “someone’s here.” Then came the sound of someone sobbing in the bathroom — a sound she assumed was Kaylee, though investigators now believe it may have been Xana.
She also described overhearing an unfamiliar male voice. “You’re gonna be ok. I’m gonna help you,” the voice reportedly said — but not in a reassuring way.
Dylan described the tone as strange and unsettling.
When she couldn’t reach her roommates by phone, Dylan opened her door and saw a masked man in dark clothing with bushy eyebrows pass by. He looked at her but didn’t say a word or come toward her. She told police she was confused by the encounter and believed he left through the side door.
Frozen with fear, Dylan reached out to Bethany, who told her to run downstairs. The two stayed hidden for hours before finally contacting a friend and her boyfriend to come check on things. It wasn’t until just before noon that day that 911 was finally called.
Moscow Police Chief Anthony Dahlinger addressed the delay in the documentary, noting that shock and trauma can freeze people in ways that are hard to understand from the outside. He said he couldn’t imagine being that young and trying to process something so horrific.
Xana’s college friend Kacy Johnston also defended the roommates, saying she holds no ill will toward them for the late call. She explained that if she had been in their shoes, she never would have believed what happened in that house that night.
Investigators eventually built their case against Kohberger using DNA from a knife sheath left at the scene, along with surveillance video and cell phone records. A criminology doctoral student at nearby Washington State University, he pleaded guilty in July 2025 and was sentenced to life in prison.
But now, Kohberger is reportedly fighting to change that, claiming in court documents that he was pressured into confessing through coercion and false promises. He insists he is innocent.
The case may have reached a verdict, but the questions surrounding that night clearly haven’t gone away. And with Kohberger now attempting to withdraw his guilty plea, one thing is certain — this story isn’t over yet.
