Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were stabbed to death by an unknown assailant using one of more bladed instruments at a shared student house in Moscow, Idaho. Two other female students on the property who slept through the attack were unharmed.
Speaking to NewsNation on Tuesday, Shanon Gray, the Goncalves family attorney, said the family raised concerns during a meeting with authorities on Monday.
“We met with investigators yesterday; we met with the prosecutor, investigators, [Moscow Police] Chief Fry. The theme of the meeting was two things, it was accountability and communication,” Gray said. “We had a lot of questions that we went in with, most of them didn’t get answered because they’re keeping most of the information close to the vest.
“That being said, we also wanted to talk to them about communication—we feel they haven’t been communicating with the families, all of the families,” he said.
NewsNation reporter Brian Entin said that Gray “mentioned the families were frustrated, they were learning about things through press releases and they’re hoping now that they will have a more open dialogue.”
However, Entin added, “He did basically tell me right now they have faith in the investigation.”
Speaking to Fox News Digital on Sunday, Steven Goncalves, Kaylee’s father, branded the police “cowards” for not saying whether a man or woman conducted the attack, and claimed they had “messed up a million times.”
“I got outraged by them not just coming out and saying this was a woman or a man because they should know by the amount of strength it took to deliver the injuries,” Goncalves said. “They’re just being cowards. There are girls walking around the street right now that deserve to know. They should be looking out for a sadistic male.”
Goncalves added the coroner, Cathy Mabbutt, said his daughter had “big open gouges” after the attack and that her death would have been “quick.”
Explaining why the family had decided to hire an attorney, Goncalves said: “There are things that we can request and things we can do to get to the truth faster. You have to fill out forms to get this evidence released to you. I don’t know how to do that.”
On Tuesday, Moscow Police Chief James Fry insisted the case had not gone “cold” during an interview with Fox News.
“This case is not going cold. We have tips coming in, we have investigators out every day interviewing people,” Fry said. We’re still reviewing evidence, we’re still looking at all aspects of this. I said early on that no stone will go unturned, and I mean that. We are going to continue.”
Investigators are searching for a white Hyundai Elantra, which was seen near the property on the day the murders took place. Moscow Police are advising local residents to walk in groups and stay on lit paths.
Kaylee Goncalves’ mother, Kristi, suggested the family could raise funds to offer a reward for information leading to the killer, but former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer told Newsweek that’s a “bad plan” as it could lead to an influx of untruthful tips from people who want the money.
Newsweek reached out to the Moscow Police Department for comment.
