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Several news outlets jumped to report on a young woman who said she was sexually assaulted at gunpoint while jogging near Stanford University’s campus in March. Now, the university police department says the assault never happened.
Stanford’s Department of Public Safety “conducted a thorough investigation” into a reported assault on March 29 near the intersection of Santa Ynez Street and Mayfield Avenue, a quiet residential area south of campus.
However, the department said its investigators concluded that the assault never occurred.
According to a statement from Stanford PR Director Charlene Gage, the same woman who reported the March 29 assault also reported a second sexual assault that allegedly occured on April 5.
Investigators also found this assault did not occur “based on strong evidence,” Gage wrote in an email.
“(The Department of Public Safety) recognizes that these findings may raise concerns for survivors about whether they will be believed if they make a police report,” Gage continued in the email. “(The department) remains steadfastly committed to treating every report with the utmost seriousness and care, conducting a comprehensive, impartial investigation grounded in evidence and guided by respect for those who come forward to report these serious crimes.”
According to initial reporting in March, the woman told university police that she was grabbed by a man who pushed her into a landscaped area at a nearby house and sexually assaulted her. This reportedly occurred in the early evening hours of March 29, while it was still light outside.
The woman described the suspect as “darker skinned” with brown eyes and short hair. She told police he wore a thick braided bracelet and carried a semiautomatic handgun in his waistband.
Bill Larson, a spokesperson for the campus Department of Public Safety, said in an email at the time that the investigation was “very active” and that the department had increased patrols on campus.
As a university that participates in federal financial aid programs, Stanford is required to report certain crimes on and near campus under the Clery Act. While the timely warning alert for the alleged March 29 assault remains available online, it appears that the second report from April 5 was never publicized.
It remains unclear whether the woman who reported the two assaults is a Stanford student.
I hope she is arrested and charged with making a false report. People like her hurt ACTUAL victims everywhere.
Totally agree.