Medical regulators found evidence that an Ohio State University doctor had sexually abused students but inexplicably failed to punish him, a review panel said Friday.

A working group, largely made up of state and local law enforcement officials, said that “for reasons that simply cannot be determined,” the State Medical Board of Ohio’s inquiry into Dr. Richard H. Strauss’s conduct essentially went dormant, even though it had, in 1996, yielded evidence of wrongdoing. It was ultimately closed years later without any penalties.

The conclusion came in a report that said “systemic failures” at Ohio State and the medical board had for years “prevented any tangible administrative or criminal consequences” against Strauss. It prompted Gov. Mike DeWine to urge regulators to review a quarter-century’s worth of sexual abuse allegations against health care providers that had ended “without action.”

“I have deep concerns that there could be other cases similar to this one — cases where there was clear evidence of criminal misconduct, but that evidence was ignored,” DeWine said.