Sean Combs' drug case sheds light on the major problem in Ohio

Gov. Mike DeWine, Senators J.D. Vance and Sherrod Brown and state lawmakers must issue statewide mandates and provide adequate funding to ensure universal testing.

Stephanie Dershaw
| Guest columnist

Stephanie Dershaw is the CEO of Survivors of Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault, dedicated to advocacy, education and support in Columbus.

Amid the accusations in the criminal charges against Sean Combsthe government alleges that Combs drugged women without their consent in order to sexually assault them.

The filing of criminal charges for drugged sexual assault varies from state to state.

In Ohio, drugging without consent is a crime, but hospitals and law enforcement agencies in our state do not have uniform protocols or standards for collecting and cooling victims’ urine and blood – vital evidence needed to prosecute charges.

The time for effective testing is often missed because the drugs used by perpetrators to commit their crimes are eliminated from the body before hospitals test for them, or hospitals simply do not test for knockout drugs.

Untested children have consequences

Based on data collected by my organization, Survivors of Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault, forensic nurses in Ohio collected more than 700 blood and urine samples from suspected victims in 2023. Toxicology laboratories processed 200.

That means around 500 kits have not been tested, and since urine and blood need to be properly cooled, the evidence is now probably useless.

Even when urine and blood kits are collected from victims, the chain of custody in Ohio for these kits is unreliable and no entity or agency is held accountable.

The drug-facilitated kits (these are the kits that test for the knockout drugs) are processed in separate facilities than rape kits, which typically contain DNA evidence, according to forensic nurses who provide care to victims.

When hospitals and law enforcement agencies fail to preserve evidence and investigate alleged crimes, perpetrators leave Michael DiGiorgioa 50-year-old California man accused of drugging and sexually assaulting nine women and killing one of them is free to strike again.

There are crucial steps we can take.

Change has to happen

Emergency departments can increase the number of forensic nurses trained to collect evidence from suspected survivors.

Furthermore, hospital staff and local law enforcement must be trained to treat victims with compassion. Too often, victims who test positive for illegal substances they have deliberately ingested are treated with disdain in hospital emergency rooms, and their claims of being drugged with GHB, ketamine and other “rape drugs” are ignored.

My organization is building a coalition of survivors, forensic nurses and other advocates to pressure hospitals, police departments and state health officials to close evidence gaps and pursue serial rapists who drug their victims.

Gov. Mike DeWine, Senators J.D. Vance and Sherrod Brown and state lawmakers must issue statewide mandates and provide adequate funding to ensure universal testing.

My journey from survivor to advocate has shown me the power of community action. Together we can ensure that my story, and those like mine, are a catalyst for a movement toward a safer, more supportive community for all.

Our website, www.survivorsoftdfsa.orgserves as an educational tool and community center where survivors and allies can connect.

Stephanie Dershaw is the CEO of Survivors of Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault and is committed to advocacy, education and support in Columbus.