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1h ago

Tompkins County Reopens Probe After New Title IX Records and Police Transcript Surface

Newly published police transcripts together with internal Title IX records have prompted prosecutors to present the case to a grand jury for possible indictment.

ITHACA, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 30: The fraternity house at the center of a rape allegation stands on the campus of Cornell University on September 30, 2026, in Ithaca, New York. A New York state attorney general has announced a review of the school’s initial response to allegations from a former Cornell University student about being raped at a campus fraternity in 2024. The student, who is only being identified as Jane Doe, has alleged she was drugged and gang-raped inside the Chi Phi frat house on the night of October 19, 2024 house in 2024. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
A student walks on the campus of Cornell University on September 29, 2026, in Ithaca, New York. The New York state attorney general has announced a review of the university’s initial response to allegations by a former Cornell student that she was raped at a campus fraternity in 2024.
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THACA, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 30: Students walk on the campus of Cornell University a day after on September 30, 2026, in Ithaca, New York. A New York state attorney general has announced a review of the school’s initial response to allegations from a former Cornell University student about being raped at a campus fraternity in 2024. The student, who is only being identified as Jane Doe, has alleged she was drugged and gang-raped inside the Chi Phi frat house on the night of October 19, 2024 house in 2024. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Overview

  • A former Cornell student known as Jane Doe alleges she was drugged with ketamine and gang‑raped by multiple Chi Phi fraternity members at a party on October 19, 2024.
  • A longer police interview from mid‑November 2024 contains the line “I can say with 100% confidence I was raped,” language that was not included in the shorter six‑page statement originally forwarded to prosecutors.
  • Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said his office initially declined to charge in 2024 based on the shorter statement but reopened the investigation on Sept. 28 after the civil suit and new material emerged.
  • Jane Doe filed a civil lawsuit in mid‑September naming seven fraternity members, the chapter, Cornell and other parties, and Cornell’s Title IX process previously imposed sanctions and barred the Chi Phi chapter from campus.
  • The case has widened into a political and legal debate over New York consent law, university handling of sexual‑assault claims, risks of online harassment for the accused and accuser, and the district attorney’s decision to take evidence to a grand jury.