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 Rolling Stone reported in November about an alleged Sept. 28,
2012, attack on a woman at a Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house pledge
party and the university's failure to respond to it. The magazine
backtracked on its story in December, citing "discrepancies" in the
accuser's account.
Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo said an investigation had
been unable to corroborate the magazine's story of the assault on
Jackie, the student identified in the article by her real first
name.
"I'm not in a position where I can say, based on all the evidence
we've developed, something terrible didn't happen to that young lady
that night," he told a televised news conference.
"All I can tell you is, there is no substantive basis for what is
described in that article happened that night."
He said the investigation was suspended, not closed.
 The article by reporter Sabrina Rubin Erdely provoked an uproar at
the school, the flagship of the state university system, and renewed
concerns about campus sexual assault. The university shut down
fraternity and sorority activities for the rest of the semester and
enacted more safety measures.
Longo outlined several inconsistencies in the Rolling Stone story,
including no proof a party had taken place at Phi Kappa Psi that
night. A time-stamped photo of the building's entrance hall showed
no sign of a social gathering, he said.
Investigators were unable to find Jackie's alleged date at the
party, with whom she said she worked at the university pool, and
another pool co-worker, the chief said.
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After the Rolling Stone article came out, Jackie met with
Charlottesville police accompanied by a lawyer and a university
representative. She declined to give a statement or answer
questions, Longo said.
Rolling Stone has commissioned an audit of its story by the Columbia
University School of Journalism. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Steve
Coll is heading the review.
In a statement, Rolling Stone said it expected the audit shortly and
would publish it in a couple of weeks.
"The report will provide a thorough analysis of the editorial
process surrounding this piece and Rolling Stone has cooperated with
Steve Coll extensively,” it said.
(Reporting by Ian Simpson in Washington; Editing by Bill Trott,
Cynthia Osterman and Peter Cooney)
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