SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The U.S. Department of Education has launched an inquiry into the way Notre Dame University police handle incidents of sexual misconduct. Twice this school year, a family has complained about the lack of timeliness in an investigation.
In September, Elizabeth Seeberg, 19, took her own life nine days after reporting that she had been sexually assaulted by another student, the Chicago Tribune reports. University police did not interview Seeberg’s alleged attacker until 14 days after the incident. No charges were filed against him.
Another female student filed a report in September after she awoke, bleeding, in an unfamiliar dorm room. Both she and Seeberg filed police reports within 24 hours of the alleged assaults and went to a hospital. In this case, police waited 11 days to interview the alleged attacker.
The victim told the news source she had not been contacted by campus police about the case since mid-October. She was contacted by a prosecutor on Feb. 15 and told that no charges would be filed.
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