Columbia police close case of sexual assault claims made by MU swimmer

The Columbia Police Department has closed its investigation into sexual assault allegations made by deceased University of Missouri swimmer Sasha Menu Courey.

Menu Courey committed suicide in June 2011, after which ESPN discovered that she alleged to have been raped by Mizzou football players. ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” first reported the allegation in January 2014 as part of a story on sexual assaults on college campuses. Menu Courey, 20 at the time of her death, had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.

Detectives were unable to identify a suspect after reviewing evidence and taking multiple statements during the last year. The case was reported to Columbia police on Jan. 27, 2014, nearly four years after the alleged assault in February 2010. There was no forensic evidence in the case and police could not locate any video evidence of the assault. Some of the statements gathered from witnesses interviewed by police, including at least three former Mizzou football players, was considered hearsay while other potential witnesses refused to cooperate with police.

“Although several people have speculation on the identity of a subject who may have sexually assaulted Sasha, there is no information available to clearly establish that this person actually committed the act,” read the 44-page report released by Columbia police on Wednesday.

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