Cornell Title IX investigation docs reveal new details on rape investigation
October 2, 2026 / 12:23 AM EDT / CBS News
TL;DR
- CBS News obtained 565 pages of transcripts from Cornell University's Title IX investigation into a former student's alleged drugging and gang-rape at the Chi Pi fraternity house in October 2024.
- The former student, identified as Jane Doe, recounted the night starting with drinking at her sorority house and then moving to the fraternity, where she claims she had a consensual encounter with two men before the situation escalated.
- Transcripts reveal a Snapchat message sent within the fraternity group chat at 1:42 a.m. on Oct. 20, 2024, suggesting a woman was available for sex.
- Jane Doe stated she felt "cornered" as more men entered the room and that she was given ketamine and taken to a closet, losing memory of the end of the event, which she states with "100% confidence" was rape.
- The Tompkins County District Attorney, Matthew Van Houten, initially was not provided the full interview transcripts and stated he would have explored the victim's assertion of rape further if he had that information, leading him to reopen the investigation.
- New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order assigning the New York Attorney General as a special prosecutor into the incident.
- Cornell University has stated it supports the governor's decision and has taken disciplinary actions, including expulsions and suspensions, against some accused fraternity members, while others were found not responsible or had already graduated.