4 University of Idaho students dead in apparent homicide

Four University of Idaho students were found dead in an off-campus building on Sunday, and law enforcement officers investigating the incident are treating it as a homicide.

Late Sunday morning, local police received a call about an unconscious individual near King Road, which is just south of campus in Moscow, Idaho, near an area where many Greek life students live, according to KREM-TV. Officers arrived at what Moscow Police Capt. Tyson Berrett described as a "house that was converted into an apartment" and discovered four people dead. All were pronounced dead at the scene, and all of the deceased were UI students.

Police stated that they may release the names of the students sometime on Monday, though they were still in the process of informing family members when they spoke with reporters on Sunday.

The gender of each of the deceased has not been released, and whether the four were living together in the converted apartment remains unclear. Police have not released details regarding how the four died, but they are treating the incident as a homicide, Berrett confirmed.

As of Sunday evening, no suspect had yet been identified publicly and no one had been taken into custody.

After the bodies were discovered, the school issued several alerts on Twitter. The first, posted at 3:07 p.m. Mountain Time, warned everyone to shelter in place. The second, posted about 45 minutes later, lifted the shelter in place because officials did not believe that an "active threat" remained, but it still advised everyone to "[r]emain vigilant."

Classes have been canceled on Monday out of respect for the deceased. The school is making counselors available to students immediately through the student mental health facility and from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Monday at the student union. Employees may also seek counseling through an employee assistance program.

University of Idaho President Scott Green released a statement on Facebook late Sunday evening.

"An event of this magnitude can understandably have significant impacts on those left behind," the statement read in part. "As Vandals, we must come together and lift each other up. If you are worried about a student or employee and are unsure of what to do, please file a VandalCare report.

"More details will be released as they become available. If you have any information about this crime, call Moscow police at 208-882-2677. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of our students as the Vandal Family mourns their loss."