Idaho murders: Police release victims' belongings to grieving families

Over three weeks after a murder left four Idaho university students dead, police plan to return the victims' belongings to their grieving families.

The four students, all 20 or 21, were found stabbed to death in the town of Moscow on 13 November, baffling the tight-knit community and police alike.

Investigators have received thousands of tips, but no arrests have been made.

An Idaho lawmaker has also warned about the impact on the university if the murders remain unsolved.

The four victims were Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, both 20, and 21-year-olds Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen, all students at the University of Idaho in Moscow, which is about 80 miles (130km) south of Spokane, Washington.

According to Moscow police, the items being removed from the rental home three of the victims shared are "no longer needed for the investigation".

"It's time for us to give those things back that really mean something to those families," police chief James Fry said in a YouTube video published on Tuesday.

"I'm a dad. I understand the meaning behind some of those things."

A statement from the police force added that the items will be moved to a "secure location" until the families can collect them. The house is still considered a crime scene.

In another update on Wednesday, police said they were looking to speak with the driver or occupants of a white car that was seen near the crime scene around the time of the murders.

Whoever was inside the Hyundai Elantra with an "unknown licence plate", police said, "may have critical information to share regarding this case".

As of 6 December, police had received over 2,640 emailed tips, as well as over 2,700 phone calls and 1,804 "digital media" submissions from the public.

The tips, however, have not led to any suspects being identified, arrests made or murder weapon recovered.

The lack of significant progress in the investigation has frustrated family members, some of whom have publicly complained about the police response.

Steve Goncalves - Kaylee's father - told Fox News last week that he does "not feel confident" in the investigation, and called on police to share undisclosed information with the wider public.

University of Idaho officials earlier this week estimated that between 25% and 40% of the school's student body of about 11,000 people have not returned to campus since the murders.

The figures prompted a state lawmaker, Ilana Rubel, to warn of a "snowballing disaster" if the murder isn't solved soon, saying she is concerned about the possibility of dropping enrolment at the college.

"Nobody wants to send their kids to a community where they could face this kind of horror," she told local news outlet KHQ.

"It's every parent's worst nightmare, it's every student's worst nightmare. They have got to find the perpetrator."