Of 4 alleged rapes at MSU this semester, 3 investigations still active

Citing a lack of cooperation, the Springfield Police Department has suspended its investigation into the first of four alleged rapes reported this school year on the Missouri State University campus.

Each of the four incidents triggered a campus crime alert, which includes posting in residence halls basic details about the reported sexual assault.

Police spokeswoman Lisa Cox said the four cases were assigned to three investigators from the department's Special Victims Unit who work closely with one another. The unit is still investigating three of the incidents.

The four alleged rapes occurred within a six-week period, one on Aug. 26, one on Aug. 30 and two, just hours apart, on Oct. 9.

Cox said with the exception of the female in the first alleged rape reported this school year, the alleged victims and people suspected of doing the assaults —  were all current MSU students.

"All four of these cases, what they have in common is that they were all victims and suspects known to each other," she said. "All had some sort of relationship prior, whether that be a friendship or more of a sexual relationship, not necessarily boyfriends and girlfriends."

Cox said there is also no obvious link between any of the cases. None of the suspects or victims are the same.

"They're all isolated," she said. "None of them are related."

The police report from the first incident, obtained by the News-Leader, shows an 18-year-old female who did not attend MSU alleged she was raped while on campus visiting a "close friend" at the Woods House, 1115 Bear Blvd.

She told another friend, an MSU student living in another residence hall, who called the police.

According to the report, the alleged victim was "crying hysterically" but eventually agreed to talk to the investigator in a private setting with her friends present. But, she refused to disclose the suspect's name, go to the hospital or pursue charges "of any kind" against the suspect.

"She insisted she did not want the suspect to get in trouble," according to the report.

Investigators provided the female, who was enrolled in another institution outside of Springfield, with a case number and contact information in case she wanted to pursue charges.

They explained there is only a short window during which potential evidence can be collected following a sexual assault and encouraged her to get an exam, in case she decided to pursue charges later.

The female went to a hospital outside Springfield and completed the exam, which was forward to Springfield Police investigators and then forwarded to the Missouri State Highway Patrol for analysis.

Following numerous attempts to contact the female, the police department suspended the investigation last week.

In late September, a female student reported that she had been raped on Aug. 26 in a male's residence hall on campus. According to the crime alert, "the victim and suspect are acquainted with each other."

The afternoon of Oct. 9, a female student reported she was raped by a male student in his residence hall. According to the university's daily crime log, a report was reported at Hammons House, 1001 E. Harrison St.

A little while later, a separate female reported she was raped by a male student in her residence hall. The daily crime log notes the report of that rape at Freudenberger House, 1000 E. Madison St.

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