While the public was still being told that no suspect had been identified, something significant was happening behind the scenes. In the early morning hours of November 29, a search by Washington State University Police connected a white Hyundai Elantra to Bryan Kohberger’s name.
The Elantra Search
The BOLO
The probable cause affidavit states that Moscow Police asked area law enforcement on November 25 to look for white Hyundai Elantras. Later-released WSU information, however, indicates WSU received that request on November 28. I think that difference is important to preserve rather than treating either date as unquestioned.
At approximately 12:28 a.m. on November 29, WSU Police Officer Daniel Tiengo searched vehicles registered at Washington State University and found a 2015 white Hyundai Elantra registered to Bryan Kohberger.
About thirty minutes later, at approximately 12:58 a.m., WSU Police Officer Curtis Whitman located a white Hyundai Elantra in the parking area of Kohberger’s apartment complex. A records check returned the vehicle to Kohberger.
The Vehicle Year Changes
The FBI examiner initially identified the vehicle seen near King Road as a 2011–2013 Hyundai Elantra. According to later court records, the examiner subsequently expanded the possible year range to 2011–2016.
The timing matters. Court records later showed that the FBI examiner expanded the possible year range to 2011–2016 on November 26—three days before WSU identified Kohberger’s 2015 Elantra on November 29. The examiner still indicated a preference for the original 2011–2013 identification.
What the Public Was Told
When Moscow Police publicly asked for help locating the vehicle on December 7, they described it as a white 2011–2013 Hyundai Elantra—the original narrower year range.
That creates an important timeline distinction: by November 29, WSU police had already identified Kohberger’s 2015 Elantra, while the public-facing vehicle description released days later still specified 2011–2013.
Official Sources
Probable Cause Affidavit — December 29, 2022
Judge Steven Hippler’s February 19, 2025 Order on Defendant’s Motion for a Franks Hearing
Faces in the Footnotes 
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