One of the most important pieces of evidence in the case was a tan leather K-BAR knife sheath with a USMC insignia. Later-released Moscow Police evidence records identify it as Item 11, evidence number 22M-1810.
The first custody activity shown in the released evidence log is dated November 14, 2022. The record does not, by itself, establish the exact time or date when an investigator first saw or physically collected the sheath inside 1122 King Road.
The Evidence Trail
Later-released Moscow Police evidence records show Brett Payne recording a BOOK transaction for the sheath at approximately 9:34 a.m. on November 14, 2022. On November 16, the custody log records the sheath being released for transport to the Idaho State Police laboratory.
What Brett Payne Later Said
In the probable cause affidavit, Payne described walking through the second and third floors of the King Road house. When describing Madison Mogen’s bedroom, he wrote that he “later noticed” what appeared to be a tan leather knife sheath lying on the bed next to Madison. He did not give a specific time—or explicitly state the date—when he first noticed the sheath.
Why the Date Matters
The paperwork gives us a documented trail for the sheath, but it still leaves an important question: when was it actually first discovered? Payne’s account says he “later noticed” the sheath, while the evidence was collected with the other crime-scene items and booked into evidence the following morning. The records I have found do not give a precise discovery time.
For me, that distinction is worth preserving. November 14 is a documented evidence-booking date—not necessarily the date the sheath was first discovered. I don’t want to fill that gap with an assumption just because it makes the timeline cleaner.
Official Sources
Moscow Police Department Evidence/Chain-of-Custody Record — Knife Sheath (22M-1810, Item 11)
Faces in the Footnotes 
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