Sep 16, 2022, News Release

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. –   It has been a week since the discovery of a noose on the Grounds of the University of Virginia in the early morning hours of September 8, 2022. The University of Virginia Police Department has been working tirelessly to identify the suspect responsible for this act. As is common in the investigation of a potential hate crime, we are working with our local FBI partners to enhance the video and develop information related to the incident. In the past few hours, we have fielded questions regarding the possibility of a note being left behind by the person responsible. In fact, there was no substantive note that reflected any threats, motive, or information that warranted notification to our community. We are in the process of evaluating items that were left behind to determine what value they have with respect to our investigation. Anyone who has any information regarding this investigation or the person responsible is asked to contact the University of Virginia Police Department at 434-924-7166 or email police@virginia.edu.

This is a deeply concerning incident on our Grounds and we understand that our community wants and deserves information. However, we must take care to preserve the integrity of our investigative process by not releasing information that only the suspect or persons who have intimate knowledge of this event would know. In doing so, we can reasonably ensure that we will not risk tainting potential witness information that may come to our attention.