Internal Emails Reveal How Washington State University Police Tracked Kohberger’s Vehicle Weeks Before Idaho Arrest
Newly released internal emails from Washington State University have shed light on how campus police identified Bryan Kohberger’s white 2015 Hyundai Elantra as a suspect vehicle weeks before his arrest in connection with the murders of four University of Idaho students in Moscow, Idaho.
The emails, obtained through a public records request submitted to Washington State University, were released Thursday and provide a detailed look at the investigative work that took place in the weeks following the November 13, 2022, killings of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin.
WSU Officers Identified Vehicle Within 16 Hours
According to an internal email written by then-Washington State University Police Department Chief Gary Jenkins and addressed to department staff, Officer Daniel Tiengo and Sergeant Curtis James Whitman located Kohberger’s Hyundai Elantra just 16 hours after receiving information about the suspect vehicle on November 28, 2022. Kohberger was ultimately arrested on December 30, 2022.
In his email, dated January 5, 2023 — sent shortly after the arrest warrant affidavit was made publicly available on December 29, 2022 — Chief Jenkins praised both officers for their speed and effectiveness in tracking down the vehicle. He also noted a discrepancy between the affidavit’s stated timeline and the actual sequence of events.
“Note that the timeline for locating the vehicle is not entirely correct in the affidavit. The affidavit indicates that area law enforcement agencies were asked to be on the lookout for the suspect vehicle on November 25 when, in fact, they did not ask for that until the morning of November 28,” Jenkins wrote in the email.
Jenkins used the moment to recognize his officers publicly within the department, writing that the work of Tiengo and Whitman “puts WSU PD in a favorable light on a national stage” and that their efforts represented an opportunity to reframe how outside observers viewed the campus police force.
Moscow Police Issued Orders Not to Stop Suspect Vehicle
A separate email, also released Thursday and dated November 27, 2022, came from then-Moscow Police Department Lead Detective Corporal Brett Payne. In that message, Payne directed local law enforcement agencies in no uncertain terms to avoid making contact with the driver of the white Hyundai Elantra.
“The vehicle in the flyer is of interest to MPD Investigations, however you must understand YOU ARE ORDERED NOT TO STOP, DETAIN, OR CONTACT THE DRIVER unless it is a life-or-death emergency,” Payne wrote.
The directive reflected standard investigative protocol — law enforcement agencies often avoid tipping off a suspect prematurely to preserve the integrity of an ongoing investigation and allow detectives to build a stronger case before making an arrest.
Kohberger was a graduate student at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, at the time of the murders. The Moscow, Idaho, off-campus home where the four University of Idaho students were killed was located just miles from the WSU campus across the state line.
Kohberger Sentenced to Four Consecutive Life Terms
Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty on July 2, 2025, to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary in connection with the killings. The plea agreement removed the possibility of the death penalty. In exchange, Kohberger received four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, as ordered by Judge Steven Hippler.
The four victims — Goncalves, Mogen, Kernodle, and Chapin — were found dead in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022. A detailed timeline made available in court documents indicates the murders occurred between approximately 4:00 a.m. and 4:17 a.m. A 911 call was not placed until noon that same day.
The case drew national attention and placed Moscow, Idaho, and the University of Idaho community under intense scrutiny for months during the investigation. For more on Idaho public safety and law enforcement news statewide, visit Idaho News and the Idaho News Network.
What Comes Next
With Kohberger’s sentencing finalized and the criminal case formally closed, additional records and communications related to the investigation are expected to continue becoming available through public records requests. The release of the WSU Police Department emails this week offers a rare window into the behind-the-scenes coordination between multiple law enforcement agencies that ultimately led to Kohberger’s arrest. Legal analysts and victim advocacy groups will continue to monitor whether any further proceedings, appeals, or related civil matters emerge from the case in the months ahead.