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More from this series

“Denied Justice” is an occasional series examining how Minnesota’s criminal justice system often fails victims of rape and sexual assault.

1

When a rape is reported, and nothing happens

Chronic errors and failings plague most rape investigations.
2

How repeat rapists slip by police

Police have closed dozens of rape investigations without knowing the suspects had been accused or convicted of similar crimes.
3

How alcohol foils rape investigations

Minnesota law offers few protections for women sexually assaulted when drunk.
4

Police overwhelmed and undertrained

High turnover, thin staffing, poor training plague police investigations of sex assault.
5

Rejected by the prosecution

In Minnesota, half of sex assault cases police send to prosecutors never result in charges.
6

A victim heard, justice served

What happened when an investigator, an advocate and a prosecutor took a victim seriously from the start.

In their words

Twenty women share their experiences with reporting their assaults to the authorities in this video interactive.

HELP US TELL THIS STORY

The Star Tribune is continuing to report on law enforcement’s handling of sexual assaults, and we would like to hear from you. You can reach Jennifer Bjorhus at by phone at 612-673-4683 or by email. Brandon Stahl can be reached at 612-673-4683 or by email. Both reporters can also be reached using the encrypted messaging app Signal at 612-467-9841 or using this form.

Find additional resources

Read additional information about the Denied Justice series and updates including:

  • Victim resources
  • How we wrote this series
  • Public response
  • Panel of experts we consulted
  • The best practices for investigating assaults

Follow the podcast

A joint podcast of the Star Tribune and WCCO Radio explores this investigation in “Inside the News: Investigating Rape.”