Harvey Sued For Untested Rape Kit

A 25 year old woman who was raped when she was 11 years old has sued the Village of Harvey because her rape kit went untested for 10 years.  The 25 year old woman was raped in 1997 when she was 11 years old.  In 2007 a raid of the Harvey Police Department was carried out by the Cook County Sheriff's Office and the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.  More than 200 untested rape kits were recovered.  Rape kits contain the evidence collected after a sexual assault.  In 1997 Harvey police interviewed Robert Buchanan, a former Cook County corrections officer, because he was suspected of raping the girl in her home.  The interview was carried out by detectives from the Harvey Police Department.  A rape kit was collected from the victim and Buchanan was released without charges.  The rape kit was never tested and was one of the 200 rape kits recovered in the 2007 raid.  Last year DNA was collected from Buchanan which matched the DNA in the rape kit.  Buchanan was arrested and charged with the rape.  The victim currently lives out of state and is suffering from suppressed memories and actively receiving therapy.  The lawsuit is alleging that Harvey failed to protect the victim's rights under the Illinois Domestic Violence Act, alleging intentional infliction of emotional distress, willful and wanton negligence and fraudulent concealment.

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