Sexual Assault

WA AG orders DIY rape kit company to stop sales in the state

The Washington State Attorney General's Office has issued a cease-and-desist letter to the company Leda Health regarding its marketing and distribution of so-called "early evidence" rape kits and its suite of services.

DIY rape kits are gaining popularity on college campuses. But are they reliable?

Commercially sold, do-it-yourself sexual assault kits are gaining popularity on college campuses. Makers of the kits have marketed them as an alternative option to sexual assault kits conducted in a hospital setting. But health officials and some sexual assault advocacy groups say the kits stand to create more problems than they solve, and are warning people not to use them.

Fall semester is underway. That's when most campus sexual assaults happen

The window between the start of fall semester and Thanksgiving break is what advocates against sexual violence refer to as the "red zone." More than half of all campus sexual assaults occur during this period, according to the sexual assault advocacy group Shattering the Silence.

National

For one rape survivor, new abortion bans bring back old, painful memories

The story of a young rape victim in Ohio who had to travel out of state for an abortion this summer is recalling painful memories for an older generation.

Seattle mayor orders plan for stalled sexual assault investigations as advocates demand deadline

As frustrated advocates demanded a deadline for the city to fix stalled sexual assault investigations at the Seattle Police Department, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell on Thursday ordered that all felony cases with enough evidence for follow-up be assigned to detectives by the end of August.

How DNA samples and genetic sleuths are solving WA cold cases

Modern day DNA sleuthing has solved two Washington rape cases from nearly two decades ago. Both cases had gone cold until local authorities received grants from the Attorney General’s office. That money allowed them to hire forensic genealogists to develop a list of potential suspects.

Seattle police stopped investigating adult sexual assaults this year, memo shows

Seattle police’s sexual assault and child abuse unit staff has been so depleted that it stopped assigning to detectives this year new cases with adult victims, according to an internal memo sent to interim police Chief Adrian Diaz in April.