Idaho murders – updates: Bryan Kohberger’s parents secretly testify over death of Pennsylvania woman

The parents of Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger have been ordered to testify before a grand jury in the family’s home state of Pennsylvania in the case of a woman found dead almost a year after her sudden disappearance.

CNN first reported the news, citing a source who said that the accused killer’s mother has already given evidence to the grand jury while his father will appear to testify on Thursday. The information can then be shared with Idaho prosecutors.

The investigation is said to be about the disappearance and death of a 45-year-old woman Dana Smithers, reported Eyewitness News.

Smithers vanished without a trace in May 2022 from Monroe County, Pennsylvania – where Mr Kohberger was living at the time. Her remains were found last month in a wooded area.

The bombshell revelation comes days after Mr Kohberger was arraigned on four counts of murder and one count of burglary in Moscow, Idaho.

Mr Kohberger is accused of killing Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, on 13 November in an attack that rocked the college town and sent shockwaves across America.

Key points

• Bryan Kohberger’s parents to testify in case of woman found dead in Pennsylvania

• What happened to Dana Smithers and how is Kohberger linked?

• Families of murdered students prepare to sue University of Idaho

• Bryan Kohberger refuses to enter plea as he's arraigned on murder charges

• Trial date set for October

• Bryan Kohberger’s sister feared he was responsible for killings prior to arrest

Dana Smithers’ sister speaks out about ties to Kohberger

11:30 , Rachel Sharp

Dana Smithers’ sister Stacey has spoken out about the potential ties between her sister’s disappearance and death and Bryan Kohberger.

WATCH: Moment Idaho student murders suspect arrives in court for arraignment

11:00 , Andrea Blanco

Pennsylvania police speak out over Bryan Kohberger’s connection to Dana Smithers’ case

10:30 , Rachel Sharp

Who is the woman whose mysterious death could be linked to Bryan Kohberger?

10:00 , Andrea Blanco

Dana Smithers, the mother of three, went missing on 28 May 2022 after she returned from a Happy Hour festival in Stroudsburg with her daughter and her daughter’s father.

After returning, she walked to a neighbour’s house and left the house after a few minutes. She was reported missing on her way back from the neighbour’s house.

A month later on 27 April, Stroud Area Regional Police Department in Pennsylvania said human remains have been discovered in a wooded area next to Park Avenue in the Borough of Stroudsburg.

The autopsy revealed the remains belonged to Smithers.

She had three children: a 25-year-old son, a 23-year-old daughter, and a 7-year-old daughter. She was described as a 5’5 woman with dark eyes and dark hair, who was last seen wearing a burgundy T-shirt and black jeans.

IN PICTURES: Bryan Kohberger’s arraignment

09:00 , Andrea Blanco

Bryan Kohberger allegedly broke into female student’s home and spied on her months before Idaho murders

08:00 , Andrea Blanco

Bryan Kohberger is believed to have broken into the home of a female student and then installed security cameras to spy on her in the months before he allegedly killed four other students in a horror attack in Moscow, Idaho.

The 28-year-old criminology PhD student had befriended the woman after he moved to Pullman, Washington state, to begin a graduate program in criminal justice at Washington State University (WSU), according to a source.

One day, the woman returned to her apartment and found that someone had broken in and moved items around the home – but that nothing was missing.

Since nothing was taken, the woman decided not to call the police but instead called her new friend Mr Kohberger and asked him to come over.

Mr Kohberger allegedly offered to install a video security system inside her home and the woman agreed.

Following its installation, investigators believe Mr Kohberger used the security cameras to spy on the woman as – knowing her wifi password – he was able to tap into the cameras when within close proximity to the apartment.

The bombshell allegation was revealed in an NBC Dateline episode titled “The Killings on King Road”, which reported that Mr Kohberger is now a strong suspect in the initial break-in. NewsNation originally reported the claims last month.

Bryan Kohberger’s parents to testify in 2022 Dana Smithers case - report

07:00 , Andrea Blanco

Bryan Kohberger’s parents have been called to testify before a grand jury in Pennsylvania in a case related to Dana Smithers, who went missing in 2022, according to NewsNation.

Smithers, a 45-year-old woman, was last seen on 28 May 2022 in Monroe County and her remains were discovered in a wooded area in Stroudsburg on 27 April, around 30 miles away from Kohberger’s home in Albrightsville.

However, a source told NewsNation that Mr Bryan’s alibi proves that he likely wasn’t involved in Smithers’ missing case.

But the grand jury has not concluded their proceedings in the case and investigations are ongoing.

Judge enters not guilty plea for suspect in stabbing deaths of 4 University of Idaho students

06:00 , Andrea Blanco

A judge entered a not guilty plea Monday for a man charged in the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students, setting the stage for a trial in which he could potentially face the death penalty.

The 13 November 2022 killings stunned the rural community of Moscow, Idaho, and prompted many students to leave campus early, switching to remote learning for the remainder of the semester.

Bryan Kohberger, 28, was arrested late last year and charged with burglary and four counts of first-degree murder in connection with the slayings of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin at a rental home near the University of Idaho campus.

AP

WATCH: Idaho student murders suspect stands silent after hearing charges during arraignment

05:00 , Andrea Blanco

Bryan Kohberger’s sister searched his car for evidence before police swooped in

04:00 , Andrea Blanco

Sources told NBC’s Dateline that one of the accused killer’s older siblings grew increasingly suspicious of her brother and his behaviour when the family gathered to spend the holidays together.

Her suspicions were so great that – at one point – several family members searched Mr Kohberger’s white Hyundai Elantra for possible evidence of the crime, they said.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp reports:

Bryan Kohberger’s sister feared he was involved in Idaho murders

There was a glaring mistake at the Idaho murders hearing

03:00 , Andrea Blanco

The grieving family of slain University of Idaho Kaylee Goncalves has complained to the court after the judge presiding over their daughter’s murder case mispronounced her name.

Read more:

There was a glaring mistake at the Idaho murders hearing

Timeline of the Idaho college murders

02:00 , Andrea Blanco

Bryan Kohberger has refused to enter a plea on four murder charges, prompting the judge to make one on his behalf and effectively moving the case to trial.

The Independent’s Io Dodds reports:

Idaho murders case timeline

Kaylee Goncalves’ father thanks roommates who survived Idaho murders for helping in Bryan Kohberger case

01:00 , Andrea Blanco

The father of slain University of Idaho student Kaylee Goncalves has expressed his support for the young women who survived the attack in which his daughter was killed.

Dylan Mortensen and Brittany Funke were inside their off-campus home in Moscow when roommates Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Kernodle’s boyfriend Ethan Chapin were stabbed to death in the early morning hours of 13 November.

According to an affidavit released earlier this year, Ms Mortensen told investigators that on the night of the murders, she saw “a figure clad in black clothing and a mask that covered the person’s mouth and nose walking towards her”.

Ms Mortensen and Ms Funke faced online harassment as speculation grew and questions were raised over the eight hours that passed between the attack and the time police were called. They were never considered suspects and authorities have described them as survivors since the early stages of the probe.

In an interview with NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield aired last week, Goncalves’ father Steve Goncalves thanked Ms Funke and Ms Mortensen for their cooperation with the investigation, which he called critical to build a strong case against suspect Bryan Kohberger.

“They’re going through a lot; I appreciate what they’ve done for the case and all the information that they’ve provided,” Mr Goncalves said. “I wish they wouldn’t have to go through it but it’s critical, it’s absolutely going to make the case so I commend them for their courage and to go through this and to know I can’t fix it for them.”

WATCH:: Bryan Kohberger being pulled over by Washington police one month before college murders

Friday 26 May 2023 00:00 , Andrea Blanco

Accused Idaho college killer Bryan Kohberger’s belongings test positive for blood

Thursday 25 May 2023 22:42 , Andrea Blanco

At least two items seized from the home of accused killer Bryan Kohberger tested positive for blood.

Court documents, released by Washington authorities earlier this month, show that multiple items taken from the 28-year-old Washington State University criminology PhD student’s apartment in Pullman had been tested for the presence of blood.

While most items came back negative, two items were positive.

Those items were a mattress cover on the bed and an uncased pillow, both of which were described as having visible “reddish brown stains”. The documents do not reveal who the blood belongs to.

The items were all seized when police executed a search warrant at Mr Kohberger’s address on 30 December – the day that he was arrested for the murders of University of Idaho students Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21.

Who is Bryan Kohberger? The criminology graduate being arraigned over the Idaho college murders

Thursday 25 May 2023 21:13 , Andrea Blanco

Bryan Kohberger became a household name across America when police swooped on his parents’ home in December and arrested him for the brutal murders of four University of Idaho students.

But who is he?

Who is Bryan Kohberger?

Four students stabbed to death, a weeks-long manhunt and still no motive: What we know about the Idaho murders

Thursday 25 May 2023 20:33 , Andrea Blanco

The murder of four college students in the quiet town of Moscow, Idaho, last November unravelled a months-long investigation that is now headed to trial.

The victims, all students at the University of Idaho, were ambushed in their rooms and stabbed to death with a military-style knife that has yet to be found. Police were called to the gruesome scene at the off-campus residence almost eight hours after the vicious attack.

The Independent has more:

What to know about Idaho murders and suspect Bryan Kohberger

WATCH: Moment Idaho student murders suspect arrives in court for arraignment

Thursday 25 May 2023 19:43 , Andrea Blanco

Novelist James Patterson, journalist Vicky Ward plan book on killing of Idaho college students

Thursday 25 May 2023 18:56 , Andrea Blanco

Best-selling novelist James Patterson is teaming up with investigative journalist Vicky Ward on a book about the 2022 killing of four University of Idaho students.

Little, Brown and Company announced Friday that Mr Patterson and Mr Ward will “draw from dozens of exclusive interviews, extensive on-the-ground reporting, copious court transcripts” and their own planned attendance at the trial of suspect Bryan Kohberger, who was indicated this week by a grand jury in Boise.

“The Idaho murders have captured imaginations all around the world and I’m as caught up in it as anyone else. Because all of this happened in such a small town, there are definitely echoes of ‘In Cold Blood,’” Mr Patterson said in a statement.

He is one of the world’s most prolific and popular novelists, but also has worked on nonfiction books, with subjects ranging from Princess Diana to Jeffrey Epstein.

ICYMI: Bryan Kohberger’s parents to testify in 2022 Dana Smithers case - report

Thursday 25 May 2023 18:13 , Andrea Blanco

Bryan Kohberger’s parents have been called to testify before a grand jury in Pennsylvania in a case related to Dana Smithers, who went missing in 2022, according to NewsNation.

Smithers, a 45-year-old woman, was last seen on 28 May 2022 in Monroe County and her remains were discovered in a wooded area in Stroudsburg on 27 April, around 30 miles away from Kohberger’s home in Albrightsville.

However, a source told NewsNation that Mr Bryan’s alibi proves that he likely wasn’t involved in Smithers’ missing case.

But the grand jury has not concluded their proceedings in the case and investigations are ongoing.

She vanished months before the Idaho murders. Why has her death been linked to Bryan Kohberger?

Thursday 25 May 2023 17:31 , Andrea Blanco

Dana Smithers was last seen alive in May 2022. Her remains were found in a wooded area last month. Now, Bryan Kohberger’s parents are testifying in an investigation into her death.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp reports:

What happened to Dana Smithers? Woman whose death now linked to Bryan Kohberger

Dana Smithers’s sister noted possible link to Idaho case months ago

Thursday 25 May 2023 17:09 , Andrea Blanco

Back in January, Stacey posted an update on the Facebook page “Finding Dana” saying that many people had contacted her about a possible link between her sister’s disappearance and the Idaho murders.

“Thank you to everyone who has been reaching out recently regarding the possibility of the suspect in the horrific murders in Idaho having been in our area around the time of my sister, Dana’s disappearance,” she wrote.

“I have forwarded all of your suggestions on to local law enforcement. Please pray for everyone involved.”

What is Bryan Kohberger’s connection to the Dana Smithers’ case?

Thursday 25 May 2023 16:30 , Rachel Sharp

There are many unanswered questions around what happened to Smithers – and what it may have to do with Mr Kohberger.

It is currently unclear why Mr Kohberger’s parents Michael and Maryann Kohberger have been called to testify in the case.

At the time of Smithers’ disappearance in May 2022, Mr Kohberger was also living in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, with his family.

That summer, he then moved cross-country to Pullman for a graduate program in criminal justice at Washington State University (WSU).

A few months later on 13 November, he allegedly broke into an off-campus student home just over the border in Moscow, Idaho, and murdered the four college students.

In that case, it remains unclear what motive and what connection Mr Kohberger may have had to the victims.

And now, in Smithers’ case, a possible link also remains unclear.

Mr Kohberger is said to have a solid alibi for Smithers’ disappearance and is likely not connected to her death, a source told Eyewitness News. But the grand jury investigation is still ongoing and no findings have been revealed.

However, it comes following a report that one of the accused killer’s older sisters grew increasingly suspicious that her brother could have been involved in the Idaho murders prior to his arrest.

Her suspicions were so great that – at one point – several family members searched Mr Kohberger’s white Hyundai Elantra for possible evidence of the crime when the family gathered to spend the holidays together, sources told NBC’s Dateline.

They found nothing but investigators had already allegedly seen Mr Kohberger scrubbing his car with bleach.

Dana Smithers’ remains found

Thursday 25 May 2023 16:00 , Rachel Sharp

Almost one year after she was last seen alive, on 27 April Smithers’ remains were found in a wooded area in Stroudsburg.

Stroud Area Regional Police said that a Borough employee had discovered decomposing human remains in a wooded area close to Park Avenue in the Borough of Stroudsburg.

Due to extensive decomposition, the gender and identity of the individual was unclear at the time.

Using dental records, the remains were later identified as belonging to Smithers.

Her cause and manner of death is not yet known.

The search for Dana Smithers

Thursday 25 May 2023 15:30 , Rachel Sharp

Smithers was last seen alive on 28 May 2022 when she left her friend’s house.

It was the following morning when Smithers’ mother realised her daughter had not come home that night.

Initially, the family wasn’t too concerned as Stacey said the 45-year-old had stayed out all night in the past.

But, when she didn’t show up for Memorial Day celebrations with the family on 30 May, they knew something must be wrong.

Smithers and her children, aged 25, 23 and 7, had a family tradition to go to Knoebels Park in Pennsylvania ever Memorial Day.

“She would not have missed Memorial Day,” said Stacey, adding that she would also never have left her youngest child for that long.

“She didn’t do anything that didn’t involve her kids,” she said. “That was her thing. I mean she was always there with the kids.”

Smithers was finally reported missing days later after Stacey said law enforcement initially didn’t take her disappearance seriously.

In June, the Pennsylvania State Police and local police carried out searches with cadaver dogs at Glen Park in Stroudsburg – a heavily wooded area close to her home. The search did not turn up anything and the case went cold for months.

For almost a year, the mother-of-three’s family desperately searched for answers and Smither’s case featured in an episode of NBC’s Dateline in December 2022 – one month after the four students were murdered in Idaho.

Stacey feared the worst, saying: “I think something happened. I don’t think she’s here anymore.”

Dana Smithers’ last known movements

Thursday 25 May 2023 15:03 , Rachel Sharp

In May 2022, Smithers vanished without a trace from Monroe County – the same county in Pennsylvania where Mr Kohberger was living at the time before moving cross-country to Washington state in the summer to pursue a graduate degree program in criminal justice.

A ring video camera captured Smithers leaving a neighbour’s house at around 11.05pm on the night of 28 May, holding her cellphone in her hand.

She was never seen alive again.

What was especially odd was that Smithers’ cellphone, wallet and daily medication were all found at her home.

Earlier that day, Smithers and her youngest daughter, 7, had gone to a local festival at the Happy Hour Bar and Grille in Stroudsburg with her daughter’s father.

Smithers’ sister Stacey told NBC’s Dateline in December that the couple were no longer together but were still on good terms.

At the festival, Smithers appeared to be having a good time, dancing and saying hello to people.

The three later returned to the home that Smithers, her daugher and Smithers’ mother shared.

Later that night, best friend Tara Cioni said that Smithers called into her home to hang out. The two women lived just a couple of doors down from each other and would often just call in to see each other on an evening.

“We’re best friends. She’s been my neighbor for 16 years. We’ve raised our children together,” Ms Cioni told Dateline.

“It was an open door policy, like, with her. So she came in and she was here for a little bit.”

Ms Cioni said that, in hindsight, she wonders if something was troubling her friend that night.

Smithers – who had a history of substance abuse – was smoking, something she only did if she was “nervous” or on edge.

Ms Cioni said that Smithers later asked her if she wanted to come back to her house to hang out but she was tired so said she was going to bed.

That was the last time anyone saw her.

ICYMI: Bryan Kohberger’s parents to testify in 2022 Dana Smithers case - report

Thursday 25 May 2023 14:00 , Shweta Sharma

Bryan Kohberger’s parents have been called to testify before a grand jury in Pennsylvania in a case related to Dana Smithers, who went missing in 2022, according to NewsNation.

Smithers, a 45-year-old woman, was last seen on 28 May 2022 in Monroe County and her remains were discovered in a wooded area in Stroudsburg on 27 April, around 30 miles away from Kohberger’s home in Albrightsville.

However, a source told NewsNation that Mr Bryan’s alibi proves that he likely wasn’t involved in Smithers’ missing case.

But the grand jury has not concluded their proceedings in the case and investigations are ongoing.

Idaho murder victim’s father shares stark warning to alleged killer: ‘He’s gonna realize’

Thursday 25 May 2023 13:30 , Shweta Sharma

The father of Kaylee Goncalves, one of the four University of Idaho students fatally stabbed to death by alleged killer Bryan Kohberger, has issued a stark warning to him ahead of a preliminary hearing scheduled for 26 June.

The latest development in the case is the release of new documents relating to the search of Mr Kohberger’s apartment near Washington State University, a short distance across the state line from Moscow, where he was pursuing a PhD.

A 166-page report on the search containing details of the items seized was obtained by The New York Times. These included possible hair strands, a computer, two stains that may be blood, and other items.

On Friday, Steve Goncalves, Kaylee’s father told ABC News: “I can’t wait to see the evidence… And then I’m gonna bring it.”

Idaho murder victim Kaylee Goncalves’ father issues stark warning to alleged killer

Novelist James Patterson, journalist Vicky Ward plan book on killing of Idaho college students

Thursday 25 May 2023 13:00 , Shweta Sharma

Best-selling novelist James Patterson is teaming up with investigative journalist Vicky Ward on a book about the 2022 killing of four University of Idaho students.

Little, Brown and Company announced Friday that Mr Patterson and Mr Ward will “draw from dozens of exclusive interviews, extensive on-the-ground reporting, copious court transcripts” and their own planned attendance at the trial of suspect Bryan Kohberger, who was indicated this week by a grand jury in Boise.

“The Idaho murders have captured imaginations all around the world and I’m as caught up in it as anyone else. Because all of this happened in such a small town, there are definitely echoes of ‘In Cold Blood,’” Mr Patterson said in a statement.

He is one of the world’s most prolific and popular novelists, but also has worked on nonfiction books, with subjects ranging from Princess Diana to Jeffrey Epstein.

Novelist James Patterson, journalist Vicky Ward plan book on killing of Idaho college students

What happened to Dana Smithers and why has her death been linked to Bryan Kohberger?

Thursday 25 May 2023 12:41 , Rachel Sharp

The horrifying case of four University of Idaho students butchered in an off-campus home has taken another dramatic twist after it emerged that the parents of their accused killer have been called to testify in a separate case thousands of miles away in Pennsylvania.

Bryan Kohberger’s parents have been subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury investigating the disappearance and death of mother-of-three Dana Smithers.

Smithers was last seen alive in May 2022. Her remains were discovered last month, her cause of death still unknown.

It remains unclear what connection – if any – her disappearance and death may have to Mr Kohberger but multiple outlets reported that Mr Kohberger’s parents Michael and Maryann Kohberger have been ordered to testify in the case.

So who was Dana Smithers and what happened to her?

What happened to Dana Smithers? Woman whose death now linked to Bryan Kohberger

Idaho murder victims’ families accepted posthumous degrees at graduation ceremony

Thursday 25 May 2023 12:00 , Shweta Sharma

The grieving families of two slain University of Idaho students accepted their posthumous degrees on 13 May.

Six months after best friends, Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen, were killed in their sleep at their off-campus home in Moscow, their loved ones received the awards during two separate ceremonies.

Goncalves’ four siblings received their sister’s general studies diploma while Mogen’s parents were given her marketing degree.

Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chaplin, who were also killed in the 13 November attack, received certificates for semesters they had completed.

Kernodle’s family accepted her certificate in marketing at a private ceremony last week while Chapin’s award in sports, recreation and management will be mailed to his parents.

Bryan Kohberger bought Ka-Bar knife from Amazon months before deadly stabbings of Idaho students

Thursday 25 May 2023 10:50 , Rachel Sharp

Bryan Kohberger bought a Ka-Bar knife and knife sheath from Amazon seven months before he allegedly stabbed four University of Idaho students to death in a brutal attack that sent shockwaves across America, it has been revealed.

NBC’s Dateline special “The Killings on King Road” reported that the 28-year-old accused killer shopped online for the military-style knife in April 2022.

At the time, he was still studying for his master’s degree in criminology at DeSales University in Pennsylvania.

Read more here:

Bryan Kohberger bought Ka-Bar knife from Amazon months before murders

Families of slain University of Idaho students prepare to sue college over murders

Thursday 25 May 2023 09:50 , Rachel Sharp

The families of two of the four University of Idaho students stabbed to death in an off-campus home are now preparing to sue the college over their brutal murders, it has been revealed.

An attorney representing the families of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Madison Mogen, 21, filed tort notices this month leaving them open to filing lawsuits within the next two years.

The notices, obtained by ABC News, protect their rights to sue the University of Idaho, Washington State University – the university where accused killer Bryan Kohberger was a student – the city of Moscow and Idaho State Police.

Read the story here:

Families of slain University of Idaho students prepare to sue college over murders

When is Bryan Kohberger’s trial?

Thursday 25 May 2023 08:50 , Rachel Sharp

Judge John Judge has set Bryan Kohberger’s trial date for 2 October 2023.

The trial is expected to take around six weeks.

The prosecution has 60 days from Monday’s arraignment to confirm whether or not it is seeking the death penalty in the case.

Bryan Kohberger allegedly broke into female student’s home and spied on her months before Idaho murders

Thursday 25 May 2023 08:30 , Shweta Sharma

Bryan Kohberger is believed to have broken into the home of a female student and then installed security cameras to spy on her in the months before he allegedly killed four other students in a horror attack in Moscow, Idaho.

The 28-year-old criminology PhD student had befriended the woman after he moved to Pullman, Washington state, to begin a graduate program in criminal justice at Washington State University (WSU), according to a source.

One day, the woman returned to her apartment and found that someone had broken in and moved items around the home – but that nothing was missing.

Bryan Kohberger allegedly broke into student’s home before Idaho murders