The mother of one of the four Idaho students killed last month said on Tuesday that authorities failed to notify her before asking the public for information about a white sedan, a car police have described as a potentially crucial lead .
In an interview with NBC’s “TODAY” show, Kristi Goncalves, the mother of Kaylee Goncalves, said she learned of her daughter’s Dec. 7 plea for information about the occupants of a Hyundai sedan, having read about it in news articles.
“My first thought was just starting to be, how long have they had this information? Where do they get this information from? Was it on a camera? she recalled, adding that an initial burst of happiness gave way to confusion when she realized she had learned the clue along with everyone else.
“The United States just found out about it at the same time as I did,” she said.
The request – which a lawyer for Goncalves described as Moscow police’s first plea to the community for help in tracking down a specific piece of evidence – also gave the family hope that the quadruple homicide could finally be solved.
“We thought it was a wrap,” Goncalves said. “We really felt as a family that this is it.”
In a press release, Moscow police said the car, believed to be a 2011-2013 Elantra, was seen near the three-story, six-bedroom house where the students were found dead on Nov. 13.
“Investigators believe the occupants of this vehicle may be sharing critical information related to this case,” the release said. “Your information, whether you think it’s important or not, could be the piece of the puzzle that helps investigators solve these murders.”
Kaylee Goncalves, 21, lived in the house with two other victims, Madison Mogen, 21, and Xana Kernodle, 20. The fourth victim, Ethan Chapin, 20, Kernodle’s boyfriend, stayed overnight at the house. Authorities believe they died in their sleep and said some had defensive wounds.
Authorities have not identified a suspect or recovered a murder weapon, believed to be a fixed-blade knife.
Goncalves’ lawyer, Shanon Gray, accused the Moscow police of not informing the family before they released the information.
The families “have to be prepared to be able to answer any questions about those things,” Gray said. “It enables the victims’ families to sleep at night knowing and trusting that the police” considers them a priority.
A police spokesperson forwarded an email containing the release that was sent to Gray at 2:24 p.m. on December 7. The spokesman, Robbie Johnson, said the email was an example of a message to keep the Goncalves family informed.
Johnson did not respond to a request for more details about when the message was sent to the public.
Goncalves also criticized Latah County coroner Cathy Mabbutt, saying the TV interviews she gave about the murders were like “salt to the wound.”
“Every time we turn around there’s another, there’s a new one — I don’t know if they’re new or old — I just run into them, and I’m like, oh my god, how many of these has she done ?” Goncalves said. Recalling some of Mabbutt’s comments, Goncalves said, “I’m sorry, that paints a picture.”
Goncalves said Mabbutt described Kaylee’s injuries in a phone call to the family answered by her 17-year-old daughter. She said Mabbutt asked her daughter, “Are you sure you want to know this? And my daughter, thinking she was doing it for some reason, said yes.”
Mabbutt’s description, Gray added, was “memorable and not in a good way”.
“I think the coroner thought she was helping in some way – I’m not sure – but [she] gave details to the families about the investigation and about the crime scene and things like that,” he said.
Such details should not have been given to the teen, he said, adding that they probably should not have been given to her parents either.
Mabbutt did not respond to a request for comment.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
