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University of Idaho—Case Discussion Facebook group page

K ristine Cameron and Alina Smith, the two administrators of the University of Idaho—Case Discussion Facebook group page, start to notice some unusual posts from a member going by the name Pappa Rodger.

They have no idea who the user is in real life.

His avatar is cartoonish, creepy, seemingly digitally created. It’s a profile of a man with graying hair in some sort of military uniform.

Pappa Rodger garners attention very quickly with a startling opinion: Of the evidence released, the murder weapon has been consistent as a large, fixed-blade knife. This leads me to believe they found the sheath. This evidence was released prior to autopsies.

Until now, amid all the theories and speculation on the page, no one has mentioned a knife sheath.

Pappa Rodger gets pushback, and he argues with people who disagree with him.

A user named Dustin Stubblefield responds: Due to the number of victims and assuming each victim was stabbed multiple times I’m sure that there was visible evidence of a [knife] guard.

For all we know the investigators on the scene wiped a couple stab wounds clean to look for bruising.

I think it’s far more logical than finding a sheath. Sheaths are usually attached to a belt.

Pappa Rodger writes back: They don’t clean bodies at a crime scene. The amount of blood must have been tremendous.

Stubblefield: Who knows. Finding a left behind sheath seams like a stretch, though.

Pappa Rodger: Why? They are very specific about the weapon but vague about every other detail.

Stubblefield: I think it’s more likely they did closer examination on the wounds on scene than you think…

Pappa Rodger: Curios, why are you debating the sheath theory so hard?

Stubblefield: Because who would carry a sheath?

Pappa Rodger: Who would carry a large exposed knife?

A picture of a Ka-Bar knife is posted for everyone to study.

Pappa Rodger: How did the killer hold the knife prior to entering the scene in your opinion?

Stubblefield: I would guess he carried it in his hand from wherever he came from. A knife in a sheath could cause him problems.

Pappa Rodger: Which hand?

Stubblefield: I don’t freakin know lol. Why would you even ask that?

Pappa Rodger: So a knife wielding person walked from where? And, entered this house at what point with a large knife in hand?

Stubblefield: How in the hell would I know that?

Pappa Rodger: Do you carry a knife?

Stubblefield: Dude give it a rest. You sound like a psycho.

Members start messaging Kristine and Alina asking who the heck Pappa Rodger is. Why is he so arrogant? And why is he focusing on the knife sheath?

Kristine and Alina wonder if Pappa Rodger is ex-military, given his strange profile picture and his seeming expertise in crime.

They notice that he posts fairly regularly, sometimes multiple times a day. And his questions and opinions seem to contain a certain macabre insight. Who is he?

I believe the killer(s) came from the high side of the house. They were covered in blood after the attack.

I feel like blood ran down a few places but it has been suppressed. The kitchen was dripping blood but they won’t admit it.

Did the killer(s) drive or walk to and from the scene? Thoughts?

Why did the killer choose a knife as the weapon of choice?

Did the killer stop at 4 victims out of exhaustion, convenience, or lack of knowledge?

Why do we think the dog was spared?

Why did the killer choose that house over all the others in the area?

How long do we think the killer was in the house?

Do we think the killer took anything from the house?

Kristine googles Pappa Rodger to see if there’s any clue as to this person’s real identity.

All that pops up in her search is the incel martyr Elliot Rodger, the twenty-two-year-old student in Santa Barbara who wrote a manifesto and in 2014 videotaped his plans to murder a bunch of people as revenge for all the women who wouldn’t sleep with him.

Kristine clocks this, but the connection seems too vague—just the spelling of the name Rodger—for her to do anything dramatic like report him to the police.

But neither she nor Alina likes his arrogant tone or the darkness of some of his thoughts, so they decide to keep an eye on Pappa Rodger’s posts.

One reason they are particularly sensitive to the content and tone on the page is that Alivea Goncalves, Kaylee’s sister, is in regular touch and has become a contributor.

Kristine had reached out to her on Facebook Messenger and Alivea responded with her phone number.

A relationship developed between Alivea and the two founders.

But there was a bump when Kristine asked Alivea to participate in a Vice documentary about the Facebook page founders and Alivea said no, bluntly.

But Alivea and Alina continued to talk. Alivea has mentioned that she’s pregnant but she wants to keep that a secret. There’s too much else going on for that to be a focus.

The two have an unofficial arrangement in which Alina passes on any video or tips submitted that Alivea might find useful, and Alivea sets the record straight about Kaylee and the Goncalves family directly on the Facebook page.

No, Kaylee was not on OnlyFans.

No, Steve Goncalves is not promoting any product on TV.

No, there was no “deal” for Kaylee’s Range Rover.

No, the family never said this attack was targeting Kaylee.

Finally: No, I do not know who killed her. I wish I did. & I can promise that I will find him & I will know. But I am still getting there piece by piece.