Idaho murders survivor reveals why police weren’t called for eight hours after four students were brutally killed

The 2022 University of Idaho murders remain one of the most disturbing crimes in recent memory. Now, a new Netflix true crime documentary is revisiting the case. It reveals fresh details about the terrifying hours inside the student home after four young lives were taken.

The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare explores the killings of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle, who were fatally stabbed inside their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, in November 2022. The documentary also revisits the actions of the two surviving roommates, who stayed inside the house for nearly eight hours before police were contacted.

According to VT, the documentary and previously unsealed court documents explain why police were not called until about eight hours after the killings. According to court records, Dylan later told investigators she did not call 911 because she was intoxicated and struggled to process what had happened. Bethany reportedly believed the disturbance may have been a prank involving members of Ethan Chapin’s fraternity. 

It’s hard to imagine what those hours must have felt like

The documentary focuses on surviving roommates Bethany Funke and Dylan Mortensen, who were both inside the house during the attack. According to Dylan, she woke after hearing noises upstairs. She initially believed Kaylee Goncalves was playing with her dog after returning home from a night out. Moments later, she recalled hearing what sounded like Kaylee shouting that there was a man inside the house.

Frightened, Dylan locked herself inside her bedroom. She then heard a male voice say, “It’s okay. I’m going to help you.” When she later opened her bedroom door, she said she saw a man dressed completely in black wearing a mask walking out of the house. Investigators later identified him as Kohberger.

Dylan immediately began messaging Bethany. The pair repeatedly tried calling Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, but received no response. As Dylan’s phone battery ran low, Bethany went upstairs to stay with her. They locked themselves inside the bedroom.

Several hours later, they called friend Emily Alandt in a panic. Emily arrived with her boyfriend, Hunter Johnson, who discovered the bodies of Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin before emergency services were contacted.

Addressing the delay, Moscow Police Chief Anthony Dahlinger said investigators also questioned why the surviving roommates waited to contact police. “There are so many reasons why you may not,” Dahlinger said, adding that shock and trauma can make it hard to process something so horrific.

Before Kohberger was sentenced, both surviving roommates delivered emotional victim impact statements. Dylan told the court, “What happened that night changed everything,” Dylan told the court, saying four people she described as beautiful and compassionate were taken for no reason. She continued, “He didn’t just take their lives,” she said, adding that he took away the sense of safety and joy they brought into every room.

While the case has been legally resolved, the documentary revisits the events inside the house through the perspectives of the surviving roommates, offering new insight into the hours immediately following the attack.