More than two years after University of Idaho murder victim Kaylee Goncalves was brutally slain, her loved ones are finally facing the unimaginable – going through the belongings she left behind.
“Note: this is not all of it, this is JUST the beginning,” a relative wrote in a Jan. 27 post on the Goncalves family’s Facebook page alongside photos of cardboard boxes and plastic containers stacked inside their Idaho home, each labeled with a simple, devastating “K.”
University of Idaho murder victim Kaylee Goncalves’ family is finally going through her belongings — more than two years after her brutal murder. Kaylee Goncalves/Instagram
“There are boxes and boxes and boxes. I’m just starting here,” the family member added.
Advertisement
The post explained that Kaylee’s things had been moved out of her childhood bedroom because it was “just too much” to go through them there.
“I’m finally going through Kaylee’s things,” reads the post.
“I am looking for several items, such as her orange Sublime T-shirt, her grey sublime crew neck, Black death row records shirt [sic], and the outfit she was wearing out that night.
“Wish me luck. There’s no turning back now,” the tear-jerking post reads.
“It doesn’t smell like her, it smells like the box it came out of, but it was definitely hers,” Goncalves’ relative captioned the photos of her “This while it’s still legal” sweatshirt. Kaylee Goncalves/Facebook
Goncalves, 21, was one of four students stabbed to death inside an off-campus Moscow home Nov. 13, 2022 – a tragedy that stunned the nation.
Advertisement
Since then, her life had remained boxed up, untouched and frozen in time – until now.
In a follow-up post, her family shared side-by-side photos of a white crewneck sweatshirt freshly pulled from a box bearing the phrase “Think while it’s still legal,” next to an undated image of Goncalves smiling ear-to-ear while wearing it.
“It doesn’t smell like her, it smells like the box it came out of, but it was definitely hers,” read the caption, accompanied by broken-heart and crying emojis.
Other painful discoveries followed.
On Friday, the family unearthed Goncalves’ mouth retainer and bright red hairbrush – with strands of her long blonde hair still tangled in its bristles.
Advertisement
The family unearthed Goncalves’ mouth retainer and bright red hairbrush — with strands of her long blond hair still tangled in its bristles — and sticky notes she’d written on. The Goncalves Family Page/Facebook
They also found pink sticky notes bearing everyday to-do lists she never got to finish.
“Curl hair, find stuff on amazon, take murph for a walk, cut nails,” read one note, referring to Goncalves’ beloved pet golden doodle, Murphy.
On the note, which was scribbled with small hearts, Goncalves had also written down the words “manage” and “flexible,” along with questions seemingly meant for a future employer – plans for a life suddenly cut short.
Another heart-clad note simply read, “Hello my name is Kaylee.”
“These items of Kaylee’s, hit me hard today,” the family member wrote. “I just want her back so bad!!!!”
Advertisement
The family member also expressed rage toward her killer, Bryan Kohberger, who pleaded guilty in July to murdering Goncalves and her pals Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 21, and Ethan Chapin, 20.
“FU BK!!!!! I wish Steve could have 1 minute in that cell with him. 1 min, that’s all it would take,” the caption says, referring to Goncalves’ father, Steve Goncalves.
The relative wrote that they wished Kaylee’s dad Steve Goncalves (right) “could have 1 minute in that cell” with his daughter’s murderer, Bryan Kohberger. Facebook/kaylee.goncalves
The moving posts all feature the hashtags “goncalvesarmyoflove,” “kayleejade4ever” and “neverforget.”
The family’s heartbreaking work came just days after horrific autopsy reports revealed that Goncalves was knifed roughly 38 times when Kohberger, 31, targeted the King Road home.
Kohberger’s motive for the murders could remain a mystery forever, as he is now serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Advertisement
The Goncalves family did not respond to Post requests for comment.
Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
5 Star Draw: 8 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
Idaho Cash: 8 p.m. MT daily.
Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a USA Today editor. You can send feedback using this form.
The rotunda as seen on March 16, 2026, at the Idaho State Capitol Building in Boise. (Photo by Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capital Sun)
Ahead of the 2026 primary elections, the League of Women Voters of Idaho is teaming up with several local groups to hold candidate forums and voter education events in the hopes of boosting voter turnout.
The groups invited all candidates for public office in Ada and Canyon County’s commissions, and inlegislative district 11, which is in Canyon County.
Advertisement
The groups that are hosting include Mormon Women for Ethical Government, the Caldwell Chamber of Commerce, the American Association of University Women’s Boise branch and the College of Idaho’s Masters of Applied Public Policy Program.
Here’s when and where the forums are:
Ada County Commissioner District 2:7-8:30 p.m. April 24 at Meridian City Hall, located at 33 E. Broadway Ave. in Meridian.
Ada County Commissioner District 1:7-8:30 p.m. April 28 at Valley View Elementary School, located at 3555 N Milwaukee St. in Boise.
Legislative District 11:6:30-8:30 p.m. April 30 at Caldwell City Hall, located at 205 S. 6th Ave. in Caldwell.
Canyon County Commissioner:6-8 p.m. May 7 at Caldwell City Hall, 205 S. 6th Ave. in Caldwell.
Learn more about candidates at the League of Women Voters’ online voter guide,VOTE411.ORG.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — Idaho drivers wanting to celebrate America’s anniversary this year now have a unique way to do that. The Idaho Division of Motor Vehicles has released an America 250 license plate to mark the occasion.
The new license plate includes an American flag on a blue background with the words “America 250” and the dates “1776 – 2026.”
The plate requires an extra fee that will go toward supporting the Idaho Heritage Trust, according to an Idaho Transportation Department news release. The specific fee wasn’t listed.
“This plate gives Idahoans a chance to mark a historic milestone and show their pride on the road,” said Lisa McClellan, DMV administrator, in a statement. “We’re proud to offer a design that honors our country’s past while supporting Idaho’s efforts to preserve its own history.”
Advertisement
The America 250 license plate was released to celebrate a historic national milestone. | Idaho Transportation Department
Idaho’s favorite license plate
The new license plate may give Idaho’s favorite a run for its money.
The Idaho Transportation Department recently held a “Battle of the Plates” vote to find out which license plate Idahoans loved best.
The Forests Forever plate was crowned the champion on April 7. Funds generated from this plate go toward Idaho replanting and reforestation projects, as well as environmental education programs for Idaho students and teachers.
“One of Idaho’s newest plates, Forests Forever made a strong run and came out on top, highlighting just how much Idahoans value our forests and natural resources,” the transportation department said in a social media post.
Idahoans chose Forests Forever as their favorite specialty license plate. | Idaho Transportation Department
=htmlentities(get_the_title())?>%0D%0A%0D%0A=get_permalink()?>%0D%0A%0D%0A=htmlentities(‘For more stories like this one, be sure to visit https://www.eastidahonews.com/ for all of the latest news, community events and more.’)?>&subject=Check%20out%20this%20story%20from%20EastIdahoNews” class=”fa-stack jDialog”>
