New details have emerged about the eight-hour gap between the University of Idaho murders and the moment police were finally called, leaving investigators scratching their heads.
According to an Idaho law enforcement source, surviving roommate Dylan Mortensen, 21, told investigators she saw a masked figure in black clothing walking past her bedroom door toward the back exit around 4 a. m. on Nov.
13. But neither she nor the other spared roommate, Bethany Funke, 21, contacted authorities until noon that day.
The delay has been a major point of confusion for the team working the case. “We don’t know if it was an issue of intoxication, or of fear,” the source said, adding that they continue to view Mortensen as a cooperative witness and not a suspect.
Court documents released earlier show that before the stabbings, Mortensen reportedly heard Kaylee Goncalves say, “There’s someone here,” followed by crying from Xana Kernodle’s room and a male voice saying, “It’s ok, I’m going to help you.”
Funke and Mortensen reportedly invited friends over before one of them finally called 911 at 11:58 a.m. Police have since ruled both out as suspects and praised their cooperation.
Despite the baffling timeline, the source emphasized that investigators are “really, really confident” Mortensen was not involved. “We look at these things through the lens of rational adults,” he said. “Sometimes things don’t make sense to us — but she’s a 20-year-old girl and we don’t know what she was doing, or if she was scared.”
Meanwhile, authorities have yet to uncover any connection between the six students and accused killer Bryan Kohberger, 28, a criminology PhD student who lived just 15 minutes away in Pullman, Wash. “There’s no rhyme or reason to it,” the source said. “Nobody has said we’ve found the link.”
Kohberger was arrested Dec. 30 at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania after a cross-country drive with his father in a Hyundai Elantra that had been spotted near the murder scene.
Forensic expert Dr. Michael Baden, former chief medical examiner of New York City, said the eight-hour delay likely didn’t affect the outcome. “The four were dead when the guy left,” he explained.
“They weren’t in a condition where an ambulance could save their life.”
As the investigation continues, one question still lingers: what was happening inside that house during those eight silent hours?
