Victim in alleged Cornell gang rape case said she ‘felt like bait’

The victim in the alleged Cornell University gang rape investigation told school investigators at the time she “felt like bait” during the alleged assault, according to records reviewed by The Associated Press .

Jane Doe, who chose to remain anonymous in her lawsuit against the school and other parties, accused members of the Chi Phi fraternity of gang raping her on campus in October 2024 after coercing her with drugs and alcohol.

Records from the time purportedly show Doe telling Cornell investigators about how she was in a state of “vague consciousness” after doing ketamine for the first time at the frat house.

“You look like an operating human being,” she said at a May 2025 Cornell hearing, according to the AP. “You don’t look dead or asleep necessarily. So, lights are on, but nobody’s home. Your brain is not functioning at its proper level.”

“I felt like bait. I felt like lions around me. It just was a totally debilitating place to be in,” she said after describing the men inhaling drugs off her naked body.

The Hill has reached out to Cornell for comment.

Cornell’s handling of the Title IX case has come under sharp scrutiny .

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has appointed state Attorney General Letitia James (D) to investigate the alleged gang rape and Cornell’s response, and House lawmakers are looking to strengthen protections for sexual assault victims.

The local district attorney declined to pursue criminal charges in the Cornell case in 2024 because he said Doe did not say directly the encounter was not consensual. Documents reviewed by CBS News showed Doe told school investigators she was “100%” certain she was raped, but the statement did not make it to the district attorney’s office.

Hochul said the president of Cornell has agreed to hire an outside group to investigate the university’s handling of the situation.