The baby's middle name combines Kaylee Goncalves' first name and the first name of her lifelong best friend and roommate.
Four University of Idaho students were murdered in a house near their campus. The murder shocked everyone around the campus and the family of the victims. Now, four months later, two of the students are being honored in a unique way.
The family of the late Kaylee Goncalves, who was killed at her home in November, confirmed to Good Morning America they welcomed a baby named Theodora MaddieKay Stevenson last week. The baby's middle name combines Kaylee Goncalves' first name and the first name of her lifelong best friend and roommate, the late Madison Mogen, who was also killed.
Kristi Goncalves, the mother of Kaylee and her sister Alivea Goncalves said that Alivea and her partner Robbie Stevenson welcomed their daughter, who weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces at birth, on the morning of February 24. “Theodora #MaddieKay Stevenson arrived at 4:21 a.m. 6lbs 5.8oz 19 inches,” The Goncalves Family Page posted on Facebook. “Alivea and Robbie are doing great! We are blessed.”
Kaylee Goncalves and Mogen, both 21, and their housemate Xana Kernodle and Kernodle's boyfriend Ethan Chapin, both 20, were fatally stabbed at their off-campus Moscow, Idaho, home on November 13, 2022. A 28-year-old man was arrested on December 30 and charged with four counts of murder in the first degree-and felony burglary in connection with the case.
“I promise to always make you proud, take the picture, and never stop fighting to find out the truth and make right whatever I can in this f*** up world,” Alivea wrote on Facebook, weeks before accused killer Bryan Kohberger was named. “You guys aren’t gone. You never could be. I’ll find you always and everywhere. If you ever get tired of seeing the world, come rest in my heart. It’s forever open to you guys. I’ll keep you warm and keep you safe there,” she added.
Since the students' murders, the Goncalves and Mogen families have been by each other's side. They came together for a joint celebration of life for the two best friends on December 30, an event Kristi Goncalves said would be one of her "happy memories."
"They had really positive, good lives, and that's the message we want," Steve Goncalves said at the time.
One of the two surviving housemates also paid tribute to Kaylee Goncalves and Mogen in December, describing them as an "inseparable duo." The second surviving roommate said, "Maddie and Kaylee were like second moms to me" and "changed the way I look at life."
On Friday, the University of Idaho announced that the four students' Moscow rental home would be demolished. Scott Green, the university president, said in a statement that it was "a healing step" for the local community. "We are evaluating options where students may be involved in the future development of the property," Green added.
References:
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=126512343682104&set=pb.100089700167436.-2207520000.
https://www.facebook.com/alivea.goncalves/
Cover Image Source: Facebook | The Goncalves Family Page
