The family of a missing Pennsylvania woman called police after being alerted by internet sleuths to the “possibility” that Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger was in the area at the time she disappeared.
Dana Smithers, 45, went missing on May 28, 2022. Her remains were discovered on April 27 of this year in a wooded area in Stroudsburg — about 30 miles from Kohberger’s home in Albrightsville.
Smithers’ sister, Stacey Anne, posted a message on her Facebook page, “Finding Dana,” on Jan. 2, thanking those who “recently reached out about the possibility that the suspect in the heinous murders in Idaho may be in our area around my sister’s time, Dana’s disappearance’.
She added: “I have forwarded all your suggestions to the local police. Please pray for everyone involved.”
Kohberger’s parents, Michael and Maryann, are facing a grand jury in connection with Smithers’ disappearance – as investigators determine whether their son was involved in the case.
The parents of Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger were called to testify on the case of a missing Pennsylvania woman who went missing in the same county where he lived
The court suspects Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger may have ties to Dana Smithers because she disappeared 30 miles from his parents’ home. Smithers, 45, was last seen on May 28, 2022 on Ring footage
A source told News Nation that Kohberger’s alibi proves he was probably not involved in Smithers’ disappearance.
Smithers, 45, was last seen in Ring CCTV footage around 11pm on the day she went missing. Her cause of death is still unknown.
Kohberger, 28, was charged with the murder of University of Idaho students Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, both 21, and young couple Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, both 20, on November 13 last year.
Michael is expected to testify in court on Thursday, while Maryann has already testified.
Transcripts from the closed session could be transferred to Idaho, where their son will face trial on October 2.
The suspect appeared in a courtroom in Idaho on Monday. He declined to enter a plea to four counts of first-degree murder.
Kohberger was expected to plead not guilty, but chose to use Idaho’s “still” plea, meaning he didn’t plead either way, but could still be tried.
The Washington State University PHD candidate has been behind bars since December 30 when police raided his parents’ home in Pennsylvania.
He was transferred to the Latah County Jail on January 4, where he has remained ever since.
The criminology major allegedly planned the murders of the four Idaho students with a statement of probable cause noting that he had repeatedly visited the area around their home prior to the murders.
Michael Kohberger (right) is expected to testify in court on Thursday, while Maryann Kohberger (left) has already given her testimony
Maddie Mogen (above) Kaylee Goncalves (left) Xana Kernodle (right) and Ethan Chapin (center) – all students at the University of Idaho – were stabbed to death on Nov. 13 in the quiet college town of Moscow
His DNA was found on a KA-BAR knife sheath found next to the bodies of Kaylee and Madison.
Goncalves and Mogen were found dead in bed side by side, while Chapin and Kernodle were found on the floor below, while Kernodle was discovered slumped on the floor of her bedroom.
According to the document, survivors Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke heard some of what happened, while Mortensen told police she heard Goncalves say “there’s someone here” around 4 a.m.
Ten minutes later she heard a thud and howl from Kernodle’s room and a man’s voice saying, “It’s okay, I’m going to help you.”
Minutes later, Mortensen said she opened her bedroom door and saw a tall man with bushy eyebrows exit through the sliding glass doors at the back of the house.
She described how she was “frozen with shock” when the suspect walked up to her. Mortensen said she locked herself in her room after he left.
The affidavit also reveals that Kohberger’s white Hyundai Elantra was caught on camera near the crime scene before being seen speeding from the home to Pullman at around 4:20 a.m.
Police quickly connected the vehicle to Kohberger and noted the similarity between his appearance and Mortensen’s description of the intruder at the rental home.