The parents of Kaylee Goncalves told filmmakers for Netflix's The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare that a county coroner informed them an earlier 911 call would not have changed the outcome of the Nov. 13, 2022 killings. Roommates Bethany Funke and Dylan Mortensen hid while Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Ethan Chapin were fatally stabbed; prosecutors say the four suffered at least 150 stab wounds in total. The accused, Bryan Kohberger, has sought to withdraw a guilty plea and says he is innocent; he is currently serving four life sentences without parole.
Parents Say Coroner: An Earlier 911 Call Would Not Have Saved the Idaho Students
ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA; Kaylee Goncalves/Instagram
The parents of University of Idaho student Kaylee Goncalves say a county coroner told them that even an earlier 911 call would not have changed the outcome of the Nov. 13, 2022 killings that left four students dead.
What Parents Were Told
In the second episode of Netflix's docuseries The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare (released July 29), Kaylee's parents describe a phone conversation with the coroner in which they asked whether anyone could have survived if help had been summoned sooner.
"Could Ethan have lived? Could Xana have lived?" Steve Goncalves asks in the episode. Kristi Goncalves recalled the coroner's answer: "No."
Nighttime Timeline
On Nov. 13, 2022, roommates Bethany Funke and Dylan Mortensen hid in separate rooms while Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; Madison Mogen, 21; and Ethan Chapin, 20, were fatally stabbed in their off-campus apartment in Moscow, Idaho. A 911 call was not placed until hours later, just before noon Eastern Time.
Instagram/Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen
Evidence and Legal Developments
An unsealed prosecution filing obtained by People states the four students were stabbed at least 150 times in total. The accused, Bryan Kohberger, has been reported to have admitted involvement in the murders, but he has since filed to withdraw his guilty plea and publicly declared his intent to plead not guilty again, saying he is innocent. Kohberger is in custody at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution and is serving four life sentences without parole.
Family Reaction and Public Attention
The parents say replaying the night and asking what might have been is agonizing. Their comments in the documentary have renewed public focus on the case, the timing of the emergency call, and broader questions about what could — or could not — have been done that night.
More context: The episode and related reporting emphasize both the brutality of the crime and the procedural and legal developments that followed, including the unsealing of discovery and Kohberger's attempt to withdraw his plea.
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