The woman who was allegedly gang raped at Cornell University said in a statement she felt like ‘bait’ with ‘lions’ surrounding her.
ABC News found the statement that Jane Doe made in 2024 after alleging she was raped at the Chi Phi fraternity house by seven men.
During a 2025 hearing, she described the night and said: ‘I felt like bait. I felt like lions around me. It just was a totally debilitating place to be in.’
Her statement was part of a 99-page report, which included 50 interviews and is heavily redacted.
Jane Doe told investigators how the ketamine affected her and explained: ‘So, lights are on, but nobody’s home. Your brain is not functioning at its proper level.
‘I know it sounds super weird to say. I know it happened, but I don’t remember it.’
Cornell University is at the centre of rape allegations after the former female student’s claims emerged.
After widespread outcry this week, New York prosecutors said they would reopen the criminal inquiry into her alleged rape.
She recently filed a civil lawsuit on September 16, detailing her alleged attack. Cornell has said ‘any suggestion that the university did not impose consequential punishments for those involved is false’.
The alleged assault happened in October inside the fraternity house in Ithaca, New York, after the woman is said to have been pressured into snorting a drug believed to have been ketamine.
Before her alleged hours-long assault, one male student is said to have sent a message to the fraternity Snapchat group saying there was ‘free p****’ and invited others to join, documents seen by The Independent detail.
Several men are said to have arrived before the woman was allegedly subjected to violent abuse and sexual assault across various rooms before she lost consciousness.
Diego Sarabia, an alleged member of the ‘Cornell 7’, was accused of pressuring a student named Jane Doe to snort ketamine and drink before allowing other fraternity members to rape her.
TMZ reported that Sarabia lost his job at Wells Fargo in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he had been working.
His termination is directly connected to the reopening of the criminal inquiry into the 2024 crime. Sarabia has not been charged with any crime and is yet to comment publicly on the claims.
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