The University of Missouri announced on Saturday that they've turned to police to investigate the alleged rape of a student-athlete in 2010 who ended up committing suicide one year later, ESPN.com reported.
The school's statement comes a few days after "Outside the Lines" published an article accusing school officials of not notifying law enforcement of the rape -- reportedly involving at least one member of the football team -- despite learning of the alleged attack over a year ago.
The administration claims to have taken action on Saturday night after new names and information surfaced and "determined that the alleged assault occured off campus, and therefore lies within the jurisdiction of the [Columbia Police Department]. The university will assist CPD in any way possible as they conduct their investigation."
According to ESPN, the police department could not be reached for comment on Sunday.
The report on "Outside the Lines" detailed the struggle for Sasha Menu Courey, a swimmer for the university, after she believed she was raped in 2010. She eventually reached out for help with a rape crisis counselor and campus therapist, records show. Additionally, she spoke with a campus nurse, two doctors, and according to her journal, an athletic department official within a two-month period.
However, the athletic department official denied Courey's claim to "Outside the Lines."
In the university's statement, they claimed they didn't act earlier "because there was no complaint brought forward from the alleged victim or her parents, and there was otherwise insufficient information about the incident. Privary laws prohibited MU medical personnel from reporting anything Sasha might have shared with them about the alleged assault without her permission."
Menu Corey committed suicide in June 2011 -- about 16 months after the alleged attack.
Chad Moller, a spokesman for the university's athletic department, defended the school officials who did not come forward about the incident.
"An important consideration in deciding how to address a report of a sexual incident is to determine what the alleged victim wants," Moller said in an email. "In this situation, it is clear that Sasha chose not to report this incident to anyone at MU other than mentioning it to healthcare providers who were bound to respect her privacy."
However, an expert disagrees with Moller and claims the university was responsible for launching an investigation.
"At the point that the university's administrators had notice of the alleged rape[s], they had an obligation to investigate, based on the potential harm that the alleged rapists posed and pose to the community," said Brett Sokolow, executive director of the Association of Title IX Administrators. "Title IX obligates universities to these actions, and to efforts to remedy the effects of the acts for the victim and the community."
