Warrants: Second home, tree house searched in Duke rape investigation

Police last Thursday seized a comforter, a condom and wrapper, a tank top, two posters, a laptop, a wireless data storage device digital data from 2503 Chapel Hill Road in Durham, warrants state.

An affidavit from investigators used to obtain two of the warrants states that a woman who had reported being sexually assaulted said she remembered being taken next door by an Alpha Delta Phi fraternity member during a Jan. 8 party at 2505 Chapel Hill Road.

Authorities were at 2505 Chapel Hill Road in January to investigate the alleged assault. That house is leased by Alpha Delta Phi members, but both homes are owned by the same person, according to property records.

Police also seized a sweater, four buttons, a pearl earring, a condom wrapper, a bear can, a cigarette butt, two plastic cups, two bean bag covers and a section of carpet from a tree house on property behind the two Chapel Hill Road houses during a Jan. 22 search, according to a third search warrant released Monday.

The affidavit police submitted to search the tree house states that a fraternity member told an investigator that he had gone to the tree house with the woman the night of the party but couldn't recall what happened when they were there because he was drunk.

The female Duke student told police she had a mixed drink at the fraternity party and later drank what she thought was hot chocolate. She also told police she refused a fraternity member when he allegedly led her to his upstairs room prior to her second drink, and the last thing she remembers clearly was dancing with friends.

According to two of Monday's search warrants, she told police she had vague recollections of being led next door, seeing people sitting in a living room and going into a bedroom with a poster of rapper Drake on the wall. She remembers telling a fraternity member, "Let's go back to the party," but doesn't remember walking back, the warrants state.

When she awoke the next afternoon, the woman told police that the leggings she had been wearing were on the floor next to the bed and they appeared to be torn.

The fraternity remains suspended pending the outcome of the investigation, but no arrests have been made in the case.