The student gave campus police leads about the alleged 2024 rape of a then-20-year-old woman after the school issued a crime safety alert, and officers later asked her to speak with them

NEED TO KNOW

• A Cornell University student who gave police leads in the alleged rape of a woman, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, has said she feels “betrayed” over the way it was handled
• Doe filed a lawsuit last month alleging seven Chi Phi members assaulted her at a fraternity house in October 2024
• The student said she shared screenshots and rumors with police after the university issued a campus safety alert about reports of a sexual assault

A Cornell University student who gave campus police leads in the alleged rape of a woman has said she feels “betrayed” over the way it was handled.

Speaking to NBC on condition of anonymity on Sunday, Oct. 4, the student told the outlet she first heard about the allegations as a rumor on campus a day or two after the alleged incident.

In a lawsuit filed on Sept. 16 in New York Supreme Court, the then-20-year-old woman, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, claimed that she was drugged and sexually assaulted at a frat house in Ithaca, N.Y., by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity the night of Oct. 19, 2024.

The student told NBC that she’d heard rumors that Doe was planning to have a threesome but that things had “gone off the rails,” and recalled being “really horrified by it.”

“From that night, I think, we just kind of started, like, hearing more,” she explained.

The school later issued a crime safety alert about a report of a sexual assault at a fraternity, which the student said made them believe the situation was being “handled properly” and “in good hands.”

“The thing I think we all feel, like, betrayed in regards to is that, like, it wasn’t handled,” she continued.

After receiving the crime alert, she and a friend tipped off authorities. Police later called her, asking her to speak with them days after Doe made her own report on Nov. 8.

The student said she went to police after she saw screenshots of a fraternity group message on Snapchat, explaining that “it felt like the right thing to do if we could help this girl.”

She told NBC, “That was, like, when I kind of internally made the decision. Okay, like, I’m taking this all in, and then I’m going to the police tomorrow.”

Doe’s lawsuit included a screenshot of a group message saying there was “free p—-” in a room in the frat house where Doe, who was 20 at the time, was the night of the alleged assault.

The complaint alleges that Doe, who said she was intoxicated after drinking at her sorority and a nightclub before going to visit a friend at the frat house, was given drugs by two men before they sexually assaulted her.

More men then joined the alleged rape after the group message was sent, and it continued until 5:45 a.m. local time the following morning.

The student said she remembered sitting with one or two officers, who “seemed fairly competent,” for about half an hour, and told NBC she told police everything she knew.

“I guess I assumed that, like, I wasn’t enough,” the student told the outlet.

Per NBC, Cornell police spoke to several witnesses and received anonymous tips about the allegations, but this information was not referred to the local prosecutor for review.

The fraternity was suspended and barred from campus, but none of the seven men have been criminally charged.

After Doe filed, naming Cornell, Chi Phi and the seven fraternity brothers among the defendants, Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten released a statement saying the woman’s statement to police differed from the allegations detailed in the complaint.

Van Houten said the investigation would be reopened and that his office was preparing to present the case to a grand jury, but New York Gov. Kathy Hochul named state Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor last week.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Attorneys for three of the men accused in the civil complaint have issued statements saying their clients deny the allegations, while both Cornell University and its president Michael Kotlikoff and Chi Phi’s national fraternity have released statements condemning the alleged assault, per Reuters.

After Doe’s lawsuit was filed, the university released a statement on Sept. 21, saying it was “aware of a lawsuit concerning the deeply disturbing allegations of sexual assault involving members of the student community that occurred in 2024.”

The university said its Office of Civil Rights and the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards “investigated and adjudicated the allegations consistent with university policies. The Xi chapter of Chi Phi fraternity remains barred from our campus.”

“Federal privacy law prohibits Cornell from disclosing specific information regarding individual students and we therefore are unable to make a public statement on any other disciplinary response,” the statement added. “Violations of university policies could lead to sanctions up to and including suspension or expulsion. We will respond in detail through the legal process.”

Kotlikoff spoke out for the first time about the former student’s claims on Oct. 3, calling the allegations “deeply disturbing” and said he welcomes further investigation into the alleged incident.

“It raises heartbreaking and troubling issues about sexual assault, dehumanization and aspects of party culture, alcohol and drug use,” Kotlikoff said in a video message and letter. “It also raises questions around the investigation conducted after the allegations were reported.”

The Chi Phi national headquarters also told CBS News on Sept. 24 that the allegations of sexual assault were “deeply concerning.”

“Chi Phi unequivocally condemns sexual violence,” the statement read. “Our founding principles of Truth, Honor, and Personal Integrity, and our mission of Building Better Men, call on every brother to demonstrate character through his actions and respect for the dignity and safety of others. Sexual violence is fundamentally incompatible with those expectations.”

“We are aware of the lawsuit concerning an alleged incident in 2024,” it continued. “While we cannot discuss the specific allegations during pending litigation, we take this matter seriously. Our responsibility is to approach this with care for those affected and respect for a fair legal process.”

PEOPLE has reached out to the Cornell University Police Department for comment.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

#Cornell #Student #Helped #Police #Investigation #Jane #Gang #Rape #Allegations #Speaks