Police in Virginia revealed this week that after a substantial investigation, they have found no evidence that a violent gang rape depicted in a Rolling Stone piece about a UVA fraternity ever took place. The woman in the story—who identified herself only as “Jackie”—refused to cooperate with police. The investigators said that there is no evidence that a party took place at the frat house on the evening of the alleged attack, as outlined in the feature “A Rape on Campus.” They also could not find the man who Jackie said was her date that night. Police are suspending the investigation, adding, “That doesn’t mean something terrible didn’t happen to Jackie on the evening of Sept. 28, 2012. We’re just not able to gather sufficient facts to determine what that is.”
In the coming weeks, Rolling Stone will release the findings of an independent investigation by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, it commissioned on its explosive feature. Shortly after the story was published, facts, reporting and accounts by Jackie came under scrutiny, and Rolling Stone quickly issued a statement saying, “we have come to the conclusion that we were mistaken in honoring Jackie’s request to not contact the alleged assaulters to get their account.” Following the police’s announcement, UVA’s Phi Kappa Psi told The New York Times it is “now exploring its legal options to address the extensive damage caused by Rolling Stone” …
