Dylan Mortensen, one of the two roommates who survived the November 2022 University of Idaho murders, transferred out of the university, stayed almost entirely out of public view for nearly three years, and broke her silence on July 23, 2025, when she delivered a victim impact statement at Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing in Boise. She is now 21, living at a location her family has not disclosed, and using money raised by relatives to relocate, pay for long-term trauma therapy, and add security and privacy protections to her life.
Her First Public Words Since the Murders
Mortensen had not spoken publicly about the night her four roommates were killed until she walked into Judge Steven Hippler’s courtroom on July 23, 2025. At her request, Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson sat beside her at the prosecution table and leaned forward to block Kohberger’s view of her as she spoke. Thompson later told reporters he had “never experienced before” anything like the moment and spoke of “the strength of that young lady” as she read her statement through tears.1NBC News. Prosecutor Reflects on Idaho Murders, Shielding of Surviving Housemate
She refused to use Kohberger’s name, calling him “a hollow vessel, something less than human, a body without empathy, without remorse.”2People. Where Are the Surviving Roommates of the University of Idaho Murders Now She described what the killings had done to her: “He didn’t just take their lives, he took the light they carried into every room. He took away how they made everyone feel safe, loved, and full of joy… He didn’t just take them from the world, he took them from me.”3CNN. Family Impact Statements at Idaho Murders Sentencing
She told the court she still has panic attacks “that slam into me like a tsunami out of nowhere,” that she builds “escape plans” whenever she is in public, and that her nervous system “never got the message that it is over.”4CBS News. Dylan Mortensen Speaks at Bryan Kohberger’s Sentencing She described a dream from the previous year in which she was able to say goodbye to her roommates. “I told them I won’t be able to see you again, so I need to tell you goodbye,” she recounted. “When I woke up, I felt shattered and heartbroken but also strangely grateful, like maybe in some way that dream gave us the goodbye we never got.”3CNN. Family Impact Statements at Idaho Murders Sentencing She closed with a line that was widely quoted afterward: “He will never get to take my voice.”
Life Between the Murders and the Sentencing
Mortensen transferred from the University of Idaho to another school. Neither she nor her family has said which one, and she has not disclosed where she lives.
The only extended account of her life during that period came from her stepmother, Patricia Munroe, who spoke to the New York Post in November 2023. Munroe said Mortensen was doing “okay” but struggling with survivor’s guilt, and pushed back on the suggestion that Mortensen was lucky to have survived: “You don’t want to take on that luck — because all of the children deserved luck.”5Oxygen. University of Idaho Murder Survivor Dylan Mortensen Doing OK, Stepmom Says
Munroe also described the online harassment Mortensen had faced, including baseless accusations calling her “a murderer and a drug dealer.” She asked for compassion: “I challenge anyone to be in a position where they wake up to four of their roommates gone and, you know, not even realizing it… People have to understand that these children are very young.”5Oxygen. University of Idaho Murder Survivor Dylan Mortensen Doing OK, Stepmom Says
Prosecutor Bill Thompson, reflecting on the case after sentencing, acknowledged it was still a “mystery” why Kohberger left the house without harming Mortensen or Bethany Funke. He said that based on Mortensen’s description of the masked figure walking past her, “I have a hard time imagining that the killer did not see Dylan,” and added that “Dylan had an angel watching over her.”1NBC News. Prosecutor Reflects on Idaho Murders, Shielding of Surviving Housemate6Newsweek. Prosecutor’s Theory on Why Kohberger Spared Idaho Roommate
The Fundraiser for Her Recovery
Days after the sentencing, Mortensen’s aunts, Kate Heath and Cindy Montoto, launched a GoFundMe called “Support Dylan’s Healing Journey.” It went live on July 28, 2025, with an initial goal of $65,000 that was later raised to $90,000.7KIVI-TV. Idaho Murders Surviving Roommate’s Family Creates Fundraiser to Help Support Her Healing
The organizers said the money would go toward relocation, intensive long-term trauma therapy, and enhanced security and privacy measures to help Mortensen “build back her life and her future.” The campaign ultimately collected $115,882 from 3,484 donors before donations were paused.8GoFundMe. Support Dylan’s Healing Journey That is the clearest public picture available of what Mortensen’s life is being rebuilt around: a new place to live, ongoing therapy, and protection from the attention the case continues to draw.
What About the Other Surviving Roommate?
Dylan Mortensen is often confused with Bethany Funke, the other surviving roommate, who was in the basement of the King Road house that night. Funke did not appear in person at Kohberger’s sentencing. A friend read a written statement for her in which Funke described survivor’s guilt and regret for not calling 911 sooner, saying, “I still carry so much regret and guilt… even though I understand, it wouldn’t have changed anything.”3CNN. Family Impact Statements at Idaho Murders Sentencing Funke also wrote that she had come to a decision: “I have to live for them. They did not get the chance to keep living, but I do.”9Yahoo News. What to Know About Roommates Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke Funke reportedly transferred to the University of Nevada and, like Mortensen, has otherwise stayed out of public view.
Where That Leaves Her Now
What is publicly known about where Dylan Mortensen is now is deliberately limited, and that appears to be the point. She is 21. She is enrolled somewhere other than the University of Idaho. She is in therapy, has moved or is moving, and has taken steps to protect her privacy, funded in part by donations from strangers who heard her speak in court. Beyond that, her family has asked for the space to let her recover, and no further details about her location or daily life have been made public.