Everything we know about the sexual assault allegations against Austin Carlile

Trigger and Content Warning: The following content contains sensitive and/or triggering content including sexual assault and sexual violence. If you feel affected by this content please know there are resources to support you. Please read with caution.

On June 8th, a viral Tweet from Jonathan Stiffler brought to light sexual assault allegations against Austin Carlile formerly from Of Mice and Men and Attack! Attack!. While the allegations go back further, Stiffler asserted that Alternative Press has known about the alleged wrong-doings of Austin Carlile and yet chosen to keep showcasing him without running an already researched story on the allegations in fear of legal retaliation.

We’ve compiled a list of everything we know about the sexual assault allegations and the subsequent acts of outlets, publications, and social media platforms reporting on it:

1. According to Under The Gun, Attack! Attack!’s drummer Andrew Wetzel specifically referenced Austin Carlile’s acts of sleeping with underage girls in a blog post from 2010. He wrote:

I can sit here all day and name off under age girls that he’s slept with, people he’s screwed over, stolen from, lied to, and used for his own selfish purposes.

The blog post has since been taken down and Attack! Attack! resolved in the following post to remain silent on their issues with Austin Carlile.

2. In 2014 a video surfaced, rattling fans. According to Rock Freaks, the video was of a woman bringing forward claims of victimization. The specific video has since been removed from YouTube, but is still referenced in posts on Tumblr.

3. By 2015, fans continued speculating on the situation. An Instagram comment stated, “This man is a rapist.” The user continued to explicitly explain and detail more about ways Carlile had “hurt a good friend” of theirs and accused Carlile of drugging and raping women. The Instagram account is since deleted or otherwise unable to be found.

4. Facebook user Ashley Mae came forward detailing an allegation that Carlile manipulated her at the age of 16. However, Carlile took to Twitter to point out that this individual admitted that she may have been catfished.

You unfortunately left out the fact she changed it and said she was catfished: pic.twitter.com/seeeqgzQPC

— Austin Carlile (@austincarlile) November 14, 2017

5. Former Alternative Press employee Mikayla Davis took to Twitter in January, accusing the company of burying a story about sexual assault allegations against Austin Carlile.

Alt press asked me to me recount being sexually assaulted to contribute to a piece outing Austin Carlile and buried it 🙂 https://t.co/1vGnaO68Ix

— mikayla (@mikaylaxdavis) January 19, 2020

6. Alternative Press made a post detailing Carlile’s discussion of religion, Black Lives Matter, and more. The headline read “Austin Carlile says Jesus is “coming back soon” amid current events”. The post has since been removed.

7. This brings us to June 8th when Caitlyn Stiffler posted on Instagram in response to a headline Alternative Press had posted about Austin Carlile. Stiffler wrote: “I never thought anyone would believe me or take this seriously, then there was your magazine asking us to share.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

I originally shared this in my stories & on Facebook, but I don’t want it to disappear. I want anyone who needs to see this to see it. Dear @altpress, Remember when over 15 girls shared their stories with you about this serial rapist? Because I do. I was one of them. Now you want to not only share HIS nonsense, but you want to put his name next to Jesus? No, just, no. It’s not okay. The alternative community has followed you for YEARS. I followed your stories so closely all through high school and watched my artist friends be featured by your magazine. To be contacted by you to share my story, in hopes that it wouldn’t keep happening to other girls, felt like a dream. Finally there was something I could do, considering I was told by law enforcement that there was nothing else I could hope for with no physical evidence. I never thought anyone would believe me or take this seriously, then there was your magazine asking us to share. He not only raped girls, probably more than anyone even knows about, he was a predator seeking out underage girls by using his position in the music industry to do so. He threatened you with a lawsuit and you backed down. I get it, who would want to be involved in that when you could just… not. That was your choice, a choice none of us had. We can’t just let it go and forget. I for one had hoped that you would at the very least stop featuring him. Guess I was wrong to hope that. He needs CANCELLED. Get him out of these kids’ faces who believe he’s a good person deserving of recognition. #cancelaustincarlile #austincarlile If you feel comfortable, please share this. Girls need to know what he’s capable of doing. He can’t hide from this forever and I can’t stand by anymore wondering if he’s out there doing this to anyone else.

A post shared by Caitlyn Stiffler (@caitlynstiffler) on Jun 8, 2020 at 3:24pm PDT

Her story enlightened many on a project that was abandoned by Alternative Press after alleged threats of a lawsuit that focused on the voices and stories of many who claim to be survivors of Carlile’s alleged abuse.

8. Catilyn’s husband, Jonathon Stiffler, shared his account of working with Alternative Press on the piece that did not run in a Twitter thread that same day.

A few years back, realizing the extent of the damage done, I organized a group of women (MANY) who had been raped or sexually assaulted by @austincarlile over the years to be interviewed by @AltPress. I knew him personally, I worked in the scene & I married one of his victims.

— Father Jonathan Stiffler (@jdstiffler) June 8, 2020

9. Alternative Press responded in a Tweet, acknowledging that there was a story that was worked on and that it did not run “for legal purposes”.

For legal purposes regarding the Austin Carlile accusations, the story couldn’t run as it was told. As a female-led, lgbtq+ editorial staff, we’re going to reopen this & find the answers you’re looking for. We do not condone any of the accusations & this story WILL be heard.

— altpress (@AltPress) June 9, 2020

10. Alternative Press reached out to Mikayla Davis with interest to revisit the story following public outcry.

AP reached out to me and I have declined their ‘invitation’ to yet again tell them what happened. I’d be happy to speak to literally any other CREDIBLE publication that will not mishandle sensitive information and disrespect HUMANS who have been hurt at the hands of a predator. https://t.co/pFyJk8dTj9

— mikayla (@mikaylaxdavis) June 9, 2020

11. Of Mice and Men released a statement condemning sexual violence. 

12. Alternative Press published a statement from CEO Mike Shea in regard to the accusations against them of silencing survivors’ voices. The statement included a note that the publication, at the time, felt that the story did not have verifiable claims, which is why they chose not to run the article. Shea writes:

From the information that we have been able to review, these claims were not verifiable by sources or through official legal documentation (formal complaints, police reports, witnesses, etc).

At APU, we are committed to listening to survivors of sexual violence and using this platform to uplift underrepresented or otherwise silenced voices. If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual violence, reach out to the National Sexual Assault Hotline here: 1-800-656-4673.