The FBI sent out an elite unit on Thursday to join in the search for a suspect accused of killing four University of Idaho students over the weekend, Fox News reported.
It comes after 20-year-olds Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle and 21-year-olds Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves were killed inside a house in the college town of Moscow, Idaho, between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m.
On Thursday, authorities issued a release from Latah County coroner Cathy Mabbutt listing the four students' cause of death as homicide and the manner stabbing, with no further autopsy details included.
Police Chief James Fry said Wednesday at a press conference that investigators believe two other roommates were home during the attack. At the same time, signs of a break-in remain inconclusive, according to CBS News.
"We don't know why that call came in at noon and not in the middle of the night. ... We're investigating everything still to try to pull all the pieces together," Fry said.
He also appeared to backtrack on earlier comments suggesting that the community was not at risk of a repeat offense but warned against stoking mass hysteria.
"We still believe it's a targeted attack, but the reality is there's still a person out there who committed four horrible, horrible crimes," he continued, urging residents "to be aware" of their surroundings and watch out for each other.
Meanwhile, Chapin's father, Jim, expressed frustration at the absence of transparency by local officials and police in a Wednesday statement, insisting that further information on the killings be released, CNN reported.
"There is a lack of information from the University of Idaho and the local police, which only fuels false rumors and innuendo in the press and social media," Chapin said.
"The silence further compounds our family's agony after our son's murder. For Ethan and his three dear friends slain in Moscow, Idaho, and all of our families, I urge officials to speak the truth, share what they know, find the assailant and protect the greater community."
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