Photos from the residence where four University of Idaho students were killed in 2022 have been taken down by the police after causing distress to the victims’ families.
Approximately 3000 images depicting the scene of the crime were uploaded online, showing the aftermath of Bryan Kohberger’s brutal attack on his housemates off-campus in Moscow, Idaho.
The photographs, which included images of blood-stained walls and floors, were initially available but were quickly removed after public backlash.
Kaylee Goncalves’ family expressed their dismay, noting they were not informed of the uploads. They urged the public to empathize, stating: “Please be kind & as difficult as it is, place yourself outside of yourself & consume the content as if it were your loved one. Your daughter, your sister, your son or brother.”
They emphasized: “Murder isn’t entertainment & crime scene photos aren’t content.”
By Thursday, the Idaho State Police had removed all the photos, citing compliance with Judge Marshall’s legal order from Kohberger’s trial.
The judge’s order mandated that authorities must redact images showing ‘any portion of the bodies of the decedents or the blood immediately surrounding them.’
Many of the images displayed extensive bloodstains in the rooms of the victims, Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, and Ethan Chapin, who were killed in their sleep.
The department’s statement noted: ”After questions were raised, the records were temporarily removed for further review to ensure the appropriate balance between privacy concerns and public transparency was struck.”
Although the documents were removed, the police indicated that they would be re-uploaded ‘soon’ with additional redactions.
They acknowledged that the release had upset the families, adding: “This was a tragic case, and we do not take the impact of the crime or the release of records lightly.”
Despite the removal, many of the 2800 images were downloaded and shared by various news outlets before they could be deleted.
As a result, Goncalves’ family urged the public to refrain from making assumptions about the crime without full information.
They commented: “We know so many of you armchair detectives will turn this into your show (profits) zooming into things, ‘analyzing blood splatter,’ suggesting that things ‘don’t add up’ yada yada yada.
“It’s disrespectful and gross.”
Bryan Kohberger, 31, is serving four life sentences without parole in the Idaho Maximum Security Institution after pleading guilty to the murders in July 2025, avoiding the death penalty.