Four University of Idaho students killed in ‘Crime of Passion’

Four students at the University of Idaho were found dead near campus in what a local official described on Monday as a “crime of passion.”

Art Bettge, the mayor of Moscow, Idaho, said in an interview that the authorities were still investigating what had transpired but that the case was being treated as a homicide. He said the authorities did not believe that there was a “perceivable danger to the broader public,” but he declined to say how the victims had been killed or whether a suspect was at large.

“With a crime of this magnitude, it’s very difficult to work through,” Mr. Bettge said, adding that the police needed time to piece together what had transpired. “The overall assessment is that it’s a crime of passion,” he said.

The authorities said they responded to a call about an “unconscious individual” on Sunday and discovered four dead people — three women and one man — at a house near the University of Idaho campus. On Monday, they identified the victims as Ethan Chapin, 20, of Conway, Wash.; Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Xana Kernodle, 20, of Avondale, Ariz.; and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum, Idaho.

Cathy Mabbutt, the Latah County coroner, said that all four deaths were being considered homicides and that it was not a case of murder-suicide. Ms. Mabbutt said her office planned to conduct autopsies on Wednesday. She said she could not share any information about how the victims had been killed without authorization to do so from the police.

The University of Idaho confirmed that all the victims were students and canceled classes on Monday.