Questions Swirl In Notre Dame Student's Rape Claims, Later Death
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (CBS) – In another black eye for the University of Notre Dame, the Chicago Tribune reports that one of its football players sexually assaulted a female student from neighboring St. Mary's College.
The girl reportedly later committed suicide. Elizabeth Seeberg -- "Lizzy," as she was known to her friends and family -- is being remembered for her beautiful smile and giving spirit, CBS 2's Mai Martinez reports.
The 19-year-old was a freshman at St. Mary's College in South Bend, but on Sept. 10 she reportedly overdosed on prescription medication.
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Her death came just nine days after Seeberg reported being sexually assaulted by a Notre Dame football player in a dorm room on Aug. 31.
University officials are not commenting on the allegations or the investigation, but in a statement, they said "Notre Dame will never be silent or passive when it comes to the careful, thorough and fair determination of whether or not laws or university policies have been broken on our campus."
"All investigations of sexual assault are forwarded to the prosecutor's office so that action, if warranted, can be taken," the statement continued.
St. Joseph County Prosecutor Michael Dvorak says campus police forwarded their report to his office last week.
"At this time, I wish to emphasize that cases involving such allegations are complex and it would be inappropriate to rush to conclusions, rather than allowing the thorough review by prosecutors to occur in this matter," Dvorak said in a statement.
Seeberg's family has hired former federal prosecutor, Zach Fardon, to look into the circumstances surrounding the student's allegations and Notre Dames's investigation of them.
The family is not talking publicly about her death. Instead, they released a statement saying, in part, "Lizzy is deeply missed, but her giving spirit lives on in her family and her friends."
Last month, the university came under scrutiny when a student, Declan Sullivan, was killed in an accident while filming football practice. High winds toppled the hydraulic lift on which he was perched. The university later accepted responsibility for the accident.
