Another Name to Add to the NFL Helmet

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Madison police announced Friday they have not been able to corroborate allegations made by a biracial Monona woman that she was burned by four white men in Downtown Madison in June in what was initially reported as a hate crime and garnered national and international attention.

Althea Bernstein, 18, told police someone sprayed lighter fluid on her and set her on fire in the early morning hours of June 24 after one of the men yelled a racial epithet.

But on Friday, the police department said it was closing the case because "after an exhaustive probe, detectives were unable to corroborate or locate evidence consistent with what was reported."

The case was also investigated by the FBI and the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, and in its own statement Friday, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Wisconsin said "after reviewing all available evidence, authorities could not establish that the attack, as alleged by the complainant, had occurred."

Bernstein's family said in a statement they appreciated "the detailed investigative efforts by all involved in this case," asked for privacy and said they would not be granting interviews.

"Althea's injuries are healing and the support of our community has been invaluable in that regard," they said.

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