Girl whose family were driven out of town after she claimed she was raped by a teenage footballer says his family's political links were to blame

Melinda Coleman says she and her family had to leave Maryville, Missouri, after intense backlash when her daughter said she was raped at a party
Daisy Coleman was left intoxicated on her porch in 22-degree weather with no shoes or socks. When her mother found her she had frostbite
A friend of the athlete allegedly involved is accused of recording the 'act'
Both teens were ultimately cleared when a prosecutor dismissed all the charges, saying there was not enough evidence
The family claim their case was treated differently because of the footballer's 'prominent political family' and they still want to testify

PUBLISHED: 06:01 EST, 15 October 2013 | UPDATED: 06:23 EST, 15 October 2013

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Daisy Coleman was suicidal after she was allegedly raped at age 14, then tormented by cyber bullies, her mother says

Daisy Coleman became suicidal after she was allegedly raped at age 14, then tormented by cyber bullies, her mother says

A teenager whose family was driven out of town after she reported being raped by a popular footballer says she thinks authorities treated her case differently because of his family's 'prominent political' status.

High school freshman Daisy Coleman claims she was subjected to constant cyber-bullying from classmates - and even parents - in Maryville, Missouri, after she reported in January 2012 that she had been raped.

She told police the 17-year-old boy invited her to a party where she became so intoxicated she couldn't stand and then had sex with her while a friend filmed the incident on an iPhone.

The athlete and his friends then allegedly dumped Daisy on her front porch, where she passed out - with no shoes or socks and no coat - in 22-degree (-5C) weather.

When her mother found her several hours later, Daisy's hair was frozen and she had frostbite on her hands and feet.

Daisy claimed she had been raped by Matthew Barnett. A case against Barnett was dropped because the sheriff said Daisy declined to cooperate with prosecutors, according to CNN.

Prosecutor Robert Rice eventually dropped all charges against Barnett, who claimed the sex was consensual, reported the Huffington Post.

The family claim they were the victims of caustic bullying. Daisy's brothers were threatened at school and booed on the field and her mother Melinda Coleman, a veterinarian, lost her job as a result of the police report her daughter filed, according to The Kansas City Star.

Mrs Coleman said she was left with no choice but to leave the town to protect her family. Eight months later their former Maryville home, which was on the market, was mysteriously burnt to the ground.

Speaking yesterday to CNN's 'Erin Burnett OutFront', the teenager said she believes the 'prominent political family' of the accused, known as 'Matt', played a role in how her case was managed by authorities.

Arson: The charred remains still stand months later of the fire-damaged home of Melinda Coleman and her children at 27932 S. Scout Drive in Maryville, Mo. This photo taken on October 9, 2013

The charred remains still stand months later of the fire-damaged home of Melinda Coleman and her children at 27932 S. Scout Drive in Maryville, Missouri

Accusations: Daisy, pictured left with her brother, told police that she became so drunk she couldn't remember anything at a party thrown by several older high school boys

On the night of the alleged sexual assault, Daisy said she and a friend had been drinking at home and watching scary movies. She had been texting Matt, who was 17 at the time. She told CNN that they snuck out the window and Matt picked them up and drove them to his house, where they crept in through a basement window.

'He gave me a big glass of a clear liquid. And that's all I remember,' the teenager said yesterday on CNN.

Mrs Coleman found her daughter scratching at the front door at around 5am the next morning. Her hair was wet and frozen and she had frostbite.

'There was frost on the ground,' Daisy's mother Melinda Coleman told CNN.

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'It wasn't until I undressed her to put her in a warm tub that I realised that maybe she had been sexually assaulted. So I asked her if she was hurting, and she said yes, and started to cry,' she said.

Mrs Coleman told CNN that she and her daughter told police everything from the hospital that morning. They deny claims that the case was not brought to court because they chose not to testify.

After Daisy reported the alleged rape, the family started to receive abuse. Mrs Coleman said she had no choice but leave. Town officials and many residents had made it clear that she was no longer welcome in the town of 12,000, she said.

'Basically I was terrified, I wanted to protect my children, I wanted to get them out of there,' she told MailOnline, agreeing that her family's names and photographs be used to highlight their case.

In April, eight months after she left town, Mrs Coleman's house in Maryville - which she was trying to sell - burned down. Fire investigators have ruled the cause 'undetermined,' but Mrs Coleman told MailOnline that she suspects the blaze could be arson - connected with town residents who were furious over her daughter's rape allegations.

Scene: The Barnett home at 707 Jefferson in Maryville, Mo., where an alleged sexual assault took place by Matthew Barnett in 2012 on a then-14-year-old Daisy Coleman. The house was photographed on October 9, 2013

Daisy, seen here with her three brothers, was threatened by residents of Maryville after the charges against a popular football player went public. Her brothers were threatened and harassed, as well

'On one hand, it would almost be a comfort to think it was an electrical problem that caused the fire, but on the other other hand, there’s a part of me that really thinks that the fire could be part of all this,' Mrs Coleman said.

'They threatened me. I’d been threatened and my daughter had been threatened and I lost my job because of threats.'

But Mrs Coleman and her daughter Daisy say they still want to see justice served, and both said they would testify.

Mrs Coleman told CNN she was approached by several other girls in the aftermath of her daughter's rape report, who also claimed 'the same thing happened to them with the same group of boys'.

Melinda Coleman, Daisy's mother, said she feared for her family's safety after she and her children received threats

She said she told the sheriff who revealed as many as ten girls had reported similar events, but he later claimed they were all liars.

'So my concern is what is it going to take for them to do something here? Does one of the girls have to die? Are they going to end up freezing in the front yard before they do something?'

She added: 'I would like to see the case reopened and I'd like to see some justice. I'd like to see the other girls come forward without fear.'

Mrs Coleman she moved her family to Maryville after her husband, a doctor, died in a car crash in 2006. She was hoping for a fresh start for herself and for her children.

Sheriff's deputies arrested two teens within hours and charged them with felonies. The 17 year old is said to have admitted to the sex but he insisted that it was consensual. A few weeks later, the prosecutor, Robert Rice, dropped the rape charges - citing insufficient evidence.

Mrs Coleman told MailOnline the torrents of hatred came only days after the case went public.

The backlash on social media was vitriolic. Classmates said the Daisy had been 'asking for it' at the party.

A girl showed up to one of the teen girl's dance recitals with a shirt alluding to the alleged rape. When the charges against her alleged rapist were dismissed, one local student wrote to the teen on Twitter, saying, 'F*** yea. That’s what you get for bein a skank : )'.

One of Daisy's brothers was booed at his final wrestling match of the year. Mrs Coleman says a friend warned her that students were planning to beat up her sons in the parking lot of the high school over the incident.

Mrs Coleman lost her job at the local veterinary clinic. She says her boss admitted that she was fired because the case had become too contentious.

Veterinarian Sally Hayse told the Star: 'This is a small community, and it definitely was stressful for us here, without a doubt.

The entrance of Maryville High School - High school freshman Daisy Coleman was subjected to constant bullying from classmates - and even parents - in Maryville, Missouri, after she reported she had been raped in January 2012

Life at Maryville High School became difficult for the four Coleman children after numerous former friends lashed out over the sex assault report

Maryville is a tight-knit town of 12,000 in rural northern Missouri

But, she said, 'If you were to ask me point-blank (why Mrs Coleman was fired), I would say it’s because our style of medicine didn’t jive.'

Mrs Coleman said her daughter suffered heavily - both from the alleged assault and from the online abuse. She tried to kill herself twice, including once when her brother found her in the bathroom and took her to the hospital.

'She had a really hard time. She went through a period, a really dark time. She did the self-mutilation and the anger,' Mrs Coleman told MailOnline.

'So much of being told it was her fault ... it really does seem like it’s your fault when people keep saying it over and over again.'

But, Daisy, now 16, is recovering, her mother says. After intensive therapy, she is beginning to move past the trauma of the alleged attack.