Just a warning before we start. This episode deals with descriptions of sexual assault and listener discretion is advised.

In 2015, I was a reporter on our news desk, and so that means you're often catching flyballs

with news stories, breaking news.

Ashley Fance works at CNN.

She has a regular beat there, covering crime and policing.

So there wasn't anything that unusual when in September 2015,

she was tasked with covering a press conference called by a police force in North Carolina.

Arriving at a hall where a conference would take place, Ashley was curious.

I was working in the newsroom covering daily stories,

and I was asked to cover a press conference out of North Carolina.

And we were a little unsure as to what it was about.

She went in and sat down and the local police chief walked out onto the stage.

What he said was shocking.

A police chief got up on stage announced to a group of reporters that his department had destroyed 33 rape kits.

He really didn't explain how it happened or who was affected by it, but he said that he regretted that the department had done that.

And the press conference was over.

And I had to kind of pick my chin off of the floor.

I wondered, how could this happen?

Why did it happen?

I was imagining some, you know, Barney Fife going into the evidence room and tripping over stuff and contaminating it all in one fell swoop.

So I knew I had to find out more.

Leaving the press conference, Ashley was in shock. The police officer had admitted openly that a force had destroyed more than 300 rape kits. What did that mean, Ashley wanted to know?

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