A Cornell University student who alleged that she was gang-raped by fraternity members told police she had taken part in a ritual involving self-inflicted cuts just weeks before the alleged assault.
Jane Doe said she cut her legs and was left with scars in August 2024, about two months before she alleged that members of the so-called “Cornell 7” drugged and raped her at the Chi Phi fraternity house. Her account appeared in a November 2024 statement to Cornell Police, released in full for the first time by CBS News.
Doe said one of the fraternity members noticed or mentioned the scars during the encounter, but quickly abandoned the subject. She told investigators that the exchange deepened her sense of loneliness and distress that night.
“I remember someone bringing up the scars I have on my legs from self-inflicted cutting that I had done in August of this year,” she said in her statement.
“Hearing that my scars were brought up, but that none of them cared to ask about them made me feel super isolated and that I didn’t matter as a person to these men,” Doe added.
The Mayo Clinic describes self-harm, including cutting, as a nonsuicidal response to emotional pain that may be linked to feelings such as sadness, anger or stress.
According to the Mayo Clinic, self-harm or cutting can be a nonsuicidal way of coping with emotional distress, including sadness, anger and stress.
