Harvard University Police Close Investigation Into Defaced Portraits
CAMBRIDGE (CBS) -- Harvard University police said Monday they had closed their investigation into the defacing of several portraits of African-American professors at Harvard Law School.
On November 19, portraits of tenured black professors at the school were found covered with electrical tape in what some viewed as a hate crime. At the time, there was speculation the defacement followed a rally on campus in support of student protests over racial tensions that were happening at other colleges.
Monday afternoon, the Harvard University Police Department issued a statement on their six-week investigation. The department said they had interviewed members of the campus community and examined physical evidence retrieved from the portraits.
"After pursuing these avenues, they were unable to identify the person or persons responsible for placing the tape on the portraits, or to determine the motivation for these acts," said the department in the statement.
The department closed the investigation pending new or significant information.