Idaho murders survivor Dylan Mortensen seen dancing just weeks after family claimed she was 'struggling'

MOSCOW, IDAHO: Nearly one year after surviving a brutal attack that left four University of Idaho students dead, 21-year-old Dylan Mortensen was spotted dancing at a university event, appearing to enjoy herself after months of isolation amid struggles with “survivor’s guilt” and online bullying, according to Daily Mail.

Dylan Mortensen reportedly dropped out of University of Idaho

Mortensen, one of the two students who lived through the horrific murders last November, was seen smiling and laughing with friends in photos that emerged in September. The photos show Mortensen, dressed in an all-white outfit, at what appears to be a university sorority initiation event.

In addition to the photos, a video also recently surfaced showing Mortensen enjoying herself at a Halloween party on October 31 with her friends.

The images and video provide a stark contrast to comments made weeks earlier by Mortensen’s stepmother Patricia Munroe, who told media outlets that Mortensen had dropped out of the University of Idaho after the attacks and was struggling emotionally.

“There's a lot of guilt because...you don't want to take on that luck — because all of the children deserved luck,” Munroe stated about Mortensen, who found the bodies of her slain roommates the day after the killings.

Four University of Idaho students — Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Kernodle’s boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, 20 — were stabbed to death in the early hours of November 13 while sleeping in their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho.

The horrific scene was discovered by Mortensen and another surviving roommate, Bethany Funke, the next day.

Dylan Mortensen's father revealed she is 'stepping out a little'

In an October interview about the struggling survivor, Mortensen’s father Brent confided in true crime author J. Reuben Appelman that his daughter had become reclusive in her grief. “Isolating herself but she is stepping out a little at a time, she is gaming online with peers in group gaming session,” he stated. “She's doing what she can without going into public.”

The recent party photos and video contradict the image of a withdrawn student hiding at home. Mortensen appears animated and carefree, though it is unclear if she has returned to attending the university or was merely visiting the campus.

Either way, her emergence indicates she is overcoming the intense trauma of discovering her brutally slain friends as well as months of harsh treatment by online trolls.

Dylan Mortensen endured vicious trolling

In addition to surviving the attack itself, Mortensen has also endured cruel bullying on social media by those falsely accusing her of being involved in the murders. Comments have attacked Mortensen for not calling the police earlier upon discovering a strange man inside the home right after the killings.

“You never really think about online backlash and trolls until you deal with it, and it's just a really hurtful thing,” Munroe said about the bullying Mortensen has experienced in multiple interviews. The ongoing public accusations seem to be lifting slowly as Mortensen moves forward with her life.

The person police say is responsible for the actual killings, 28-year-old criminology Ph.D student Bryan Kohberger, denies the charges and remains in jail awaiting trial.