CBS News published the texts, which were reportedly sent within days of an alleged assault at a campus fraternity house in October 2024. A female student says she was drugged and raped repeatedly over seven hours by multiple men who found out she was there through Snapchat.
The texts complicate a case that has already drawn scrutiny over how investigators handle allegations involving fraternities, social media, and conflicting accounts sent in the aftermath of an assault. Prosecutors did not say what specifically prompted them to revisit the case. The timing, though, puts the newly released messages at the center of renewed legal attention.
For the woman who made the allegation, the reopened case means another round of scrutiny over her own words. For Cornell and the fraternity community tied to the case, it means the story is far from over. The university has not commented publicly on the fresh developments.
Prosecutors gave no timeline for how long the reopened investigation might take, leaving the case, and the texts now attached to it, in limbo.