Cornell Gang Rape Investigation Reopened After Prosecutor Admits His Office Never Examined Allegations

A Cornell rape case has been reopened after Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten acknowledged that his office did not independently investigate allegations surrounding an alleged 2024 assault at the university's Chi Phi fraternity house.

The move follows a civil lawsuit filed by former Cornell student Jane Doe, who alleges she was drugged and sexually assaulted by seven current and former members of the fraternity.

At the centre of the renewed scrutiny is a Snapchat message allegedly sent during the incident, with Doe's lawyer saying the group chat was provided to authorities in 2024 while Van Houten says his office never received it.

'Free P—y' Snapchat Message

According to the lawsuit, Doe was at the Chi Phi house in Ithaca late on 19 October 2024 after drinking earlier that evening.

At about 1.42am on 20 October, defendant Johnathan Newell allegedly posted a message in a Snapchat group called 'Chi Phi Actives', inviting fraternity members upstairs with the words 'free p—y'.

The complaint alleges other members subsequently entered the room, where Doe says she was sexually assaulted. It alleges the incident continued until about 5.45am.

The screenshot has become a disputed piece of evidence in the reopened investigation.

Van Houten told ABC News that the group chat shown in the lawsuit was never provided to his office. Thomas P. Giuffra, who represents Doe, disputes that account, saying authorities were given the messages in 2024 and describing them as a critical piece of evidence.

That clash over what investigators received sits at the heart of the reopened case.

DA Reopens Criminal Investigation

Van Houten said prosecutors are reconsidering whether criminal charges should be brought and intend to present the case to a Tompkins County grand jury with Doe's cooperation.

He said his office relied on the investigation conducted by Cornell University Police rather than independently investigating the allegations, adding that the claims in the civil lawsuit are 'dramatically different' from Doe's 2024 statement to police.

Van Houten said prosecutors want to determine whether evidence now available, but not known to them in November 2024, could change their earlier assessment.

No criminal charges have been filed against the seven defendants.

Why Charges Were Not Filed in 2024

Van Houten said the decision not to bring charges in 2024 followed Doe's original account to authorities.

He said she did not allege at the time that she had been unknowingly drugged, forced to engage in sexual activity, or physically helpless, unconscious or incapacitated at the fraternity house.

Giuffra disputes Van Houten's description of the original report and said Doe was never contacted by someone with specialised training to investigate sexual abuse allegations.

Cornell's Title IX Response

The criminal investigation is separate from Cornell's internal proceedings.

Doe reported the alleged incident to Cornell University Police on 8 November 2024. According to the lawsuit, temporary suspensions followed for the Chi Phi chapter and the seven students. Cornell subsequently conducted a Title IX investigation.

Cornell says its Office of Civil Rights and Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards investigated and adjudicated the allegations under university policies. The university says the Xi chapter of Chi Phi remains barred from campus.

The university has also pushed back against claims that those involved faced only minimal consequences. Cornell said none of the individuals charged were offered essays as a sole consequence and said sanctions included expulsions and suspensions.

Seven Defendants Deny Allegations

The lawsuit names Matthew Ingalls, Johnathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris and Scott Kretzschmar.

The allegations remain unproven in court, and none of the seven has been criminally charged over the alleged incident.

Kretzschmar's attorney, Jeremy Saland, has denied the allegations, saying his client 'never sexually assaulted or even touched' Doe. Norris has also denied participating in sexual activity or drug use, while acknowledging that he sent a message included in the complaint.

The reopened Cornell University sexual assault investigation now puts fresh focus on the evidence surrounding the 2024 report, particularly the disputed Snapchat material and the sharply different accounts of what investigators knew at the time.

The next major development could come when prosecutors present the case to a Tompkins County grand jury.

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