Idaho police 'getting a lot of tips' following plea for help

(NewsNation) — Idaho police asking for help locating a white Hyundai Elantra that was seen near the University of Idaho murder scene has raised hopes that a break in the case could happen soon.

It is the first specific plea for public help since the murders nearly a month ago.

Police tell NewsNation new leads are now coming in fast.

“We are getting a lot of tips,” said Robbie Johnson, Public Information Officer for the city of Moscow Police Department.

The hope is that the news leads will lead police to a suspect in the stabbing deaths of four students last month.

Moscow police issued the alert for information on the vehicle, saying it was spotted near the scene around the time of the murders in the early morning hours of Nov. 13.

“The tips and leads have just shown us that there was a car there in the immediate area,” Johnson said. “So whoever was in that car may know who might’ve owned that car, any of that information is extremely valuable to us right now because it could be really significant in solving this case.”

The license plate of the vehihcle is unknown, so locating the specific car may be tough.

In response to body cam footage obtained by NewsNation’s “Banfield,” police say the underage drinking citations in the neighborhood around the time of the murders are unrelated.

Police also say a white car seen in that footage is not the car in question they are now seeking.
Police stress key information is being withheld to protect the integrity of the investigation.

“The information that we’re giving is all about solving the crime,” Johnson said. “So knowing that we’re not releasing all that information, know that we’re keeping safe information that we need to find who did this.”

That said, there have been over half a million Elantras sold throughout the U.S. between 2011 and 2013. It’s also unknown how many white models may be in the area.

Additionally, the mother of victim Kaylee Goncalves revealed on Thursday that the family has now retained a lawyer.

Thursday evening, NewsNation correspondent Nancy Loo told “Banfield” that five plainclothes investigators were at the house. Loo says they did not leave with any items and didn’t answer questions.