New London Police have identified a suspect in a months-long voyeurism investigation at Connecticut College in which female students reported being photographed in shower changing areas. According to New London police chief Peter Reichard, the suspect is a 20 year-old male who made themselves known to police at some point on Thursday. Reichard says the suspect volunteered to an interview by police. Police have “seized digital media” from the suspect relating to the investigation. Reichard says the department will conduct a forensic review, but indicated they will likely seek an arrest warrant following that review.
The College has conducted its own investigation of the incidents, and according to Reichard “the College has cooperated” with the police investigation. Ebony Manning, the College’s Title IX coordinator, confirmed that the College and New London police have conducted independent, though partially coordinated, investigations. Manning said that police had requested digital information for a digital forensics investigation.
According to Reichard, the College did not play a role in Thursday’s identification of the suspect.
An email distributed Thursday afternoon by the College’s communications office and signed by Manning and Campus Safety director Mary Savage informed the campus community that “the College has moved to separate the individual from the campus pending further action by police.”
Neither the College nor the police have named the suspect.
For months, the “shower incidents” have stumped College and police investigators. Four incidents occurred last semester — three in Plant House, and one in Morrison. A fifth incident was reported as having occurred in Plant on the second day of classes this semester.
After the fourth incident occurred in December, Grace Amato ’21 and Devon Stahl ’19 initiated a Facebook-based campaign called “Take Back Our Showers” in an effort to pressure the administration to take action. In a statement responding to the announcement that a suspect has been identified, Amato and Stahl said “this is a promising development.” They believe it is insufficient however, saying that the College community “also needs to address the ways we are all complicit in contributing to an environment where this can even happen in the first place.”
While the suspect has not yet been named, Amato and Stahl have said “we hope a public release of the suspect’s name will give some peace and justice to the victims of the incidents.”
This is a developing story.
