Do You Recognize Any of Idaho’s 7 Most Wanted Criminals?

While the idea that “it’s so safe here, people don’t even lock their doors” has worn off more and more every year, people living in Idaho still consider the state to feel pretty safe. 

A Consumer Affairs study published in March 2023, seems to back up that gut feeling. They combed through page after page of data from the FBI’s “Crime Data Explorer” to determine which states were the safest in the nation. They were particularly interested in the four violent crimes (murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault) and three property crimes (burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft.) When they crunched the numbers they determined that Idaho was the eighth safest state in the country. 

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However, we should note they used the last set of statistics available at the time. Those were from 2020. It’s likely Idaho could slip when the data is updated to include crimes that took place in 2022. Without even Googling headlines from across the state, we can name six people who were murdered in 2022 alone: Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, Rory Mehen and Sara Mehen.

The first four were allegedly stabbed to death by Bryan Kohberger at an off-campus home near the University of Idaho in November 2022. The Mehens were murdered at the hotel they operated in New Meadows last October. John Cody Hart recently took a plea deal to avoid the death penalty for their murder. His sentencing will happen later this fall. 

Kohberger. Hart. Lori Vallow. Chad Daybell. They’re some of Idaho’s most notorious criminals, but all of them are in custody. There is, however, a short list of “Most Wanted” criminals that law enforcement agencies in Idaho haven’t been able to apprehend. Currently, the state has five most wanted criminals they’d like to speak to. Local agencies in our area also have a handful of folks they’re looking for. 

Do you recognize any of them? If you do you can make submit tips to IDOC by clicking here or to local agencies through Crimestoppers.