The woman accusing Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane of sexual assault reportedly "no longer wishes to cooperate" with the investigation. The Buffalo News, citing five sources with knowledge of Kane's case, reported Tuesday that the alleged victim - after first inquiring as to the status of the investigation - notified the Erie County District Attorney's Office that the "high-profile investigation has caused tremendous stress for her and her family," and that she now wants no part of it.
"She was no longer interested in going forward," a source told The News.
The woman also reportedly signed a document called an "affidavit declining prosecution," which is currently under District Attorney Frank Sedita III's consideration.
It had been reported by The News late last week that Kane was unlikely to face charges due to the mounting evidence to the contrary of the alleged victim's claims. Kane denied those reports, stating that he would wait for the legal process to play out, though Sedita was also said to be uninterested in presenting further evidence regarding the allegations to a grand jury.
The case seemingly began to crumble on Sept. 19 when it was revealed that DNA evidence did not support the woman's allegations. By Sept. 25, the woman's lawyer, Thomas Eoannou, had withdrawn from the case after he was the victim of what Sedita would eventually term an "elaborate hoax" - Eoannou was led to believe by the victim's mother that the evidence bag, which once held the results of the victim's rape kit, was delivered to her home, only to discover later that there were inconsistencies in the story behind how the bag came to be in the woman's possession.
Sedita's office never made a public determination as to whether the victim was a contributor to the hoax.
