Vancouver acid attack was self-inflicted

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/426859_acidattack16.html

VANCOUVER, Wash. -- A woman who gained sympathy worldwide after she claimed a random assailant threw acid on her face came forward Thursday with a startling admission: She inflicted the attack on herself.

Vancouver police chief Clifford Cook said Bethany Storro admitted under police questioning to fabricating a story about the attack, in which she suffered severe burns.

Cook said he did not know a motive for Storro's actions, but added she is "very remorseful." He said Storro was still being interviewed by detectives.

The police chief said that "during the course of the investigation, several discrepancies began to emerge regarding the alleged attack," leading police to search her home earlier Thursday and interview her.

"During the interview, Ms. Storro admitted the injuries were self-inflicted," Cook said.

Police had been seeking a black woman with a ponytail after Storro described the Aug. 30 attack. She had said the woman asked her, "Hey, pretty girl, want something to drink?" then threw acid in her face.

She recounted details of the alleged attack at a news conference, with her head wrapped in bandages and her parents by her side. She said she wanted to know why the unnamed assailant had attacked her.

After the incident, Storro made several media appearances, but a planned interview on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" was canceled. She said she had received correspondence from people around the world concerned for her well being.

Storro's story rocked Vancouver, a suburb of Portland, Ore., with about 165,000 residents near the Washington-Oregon border. Funds were set up for Storro at Umpquah and Riverview Community banks, which did not return requests for comment Thursday.

Vancouver police Commander Marla Schuman said detectives were working on a way to return any money donated to Storro.

Schuman said the alleged attack and the probe stretched the resources of Vancouver's small police department.

"It's been hundreds of hours," Schuman said about the time invested in the investigation. "It really took a toll on the department and the resources that we have."

Cook said any decision to charge Storro with a crime would be left to the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. Clark County Senior Deputy Prosecutor John Fairgrieve did not immediately return a call from The Associated Press seeking comment Thursday.

"She is extremely upset," Schuman said. "In many ways, this got bigger than she expected."

Schuman was asked whether Storro will face a charge of filing a false police report, to which she responded: "At this point, yes, that would certainly fit."

A telephone number for Storro's parents, Joseph and Nancy Neuwelt, could not be located Thursday. The couple has called the alleged attack "an act of evil," but said the family would persevere.

A burn surgeon who operated on Storro said the substance thrown on her face was an acid as strong as hydrochloric or sulfuric acid. Police said Thursday that they haven't yet identified the substance Storro used, nor did they find any evidence of acid in her home or car.

I saw the report when it first came out...i really felt sorry for her at the time....now not so much.

Damn. Well, that's one way to get attention I guess.

People are dumb. All that for 15 minutes of fame, and her life and face are ruined. Wow.

I laughed when I heard it was self inflicted. Now your hated and ugly, good job!
Since Vancouver just over the bridge from the Portland metro area I have been seeing this as local news a lot lately, just like the Kyron Foreman case which happened like five miles away. Gee would be nice to get some good news from my area.

what a nutcase

Was just telling my girlfriend that this news report reminds me of so much of the crap from the 90s.
Weird Al covered it pretty well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zcvneIqDJQ

What a crazy bitch!

at least she didnt throw acid in someone elses face

I hear that. This chick is just bat->censored< insane. I wouldn't be surprised if she went after someone else next.

its amazing what lengths people will go to for attention

And Yesterday a warrent was issued for her arrest. The Charges are three counts of grand larceny. She is being charged with the theft of 28,000 dollars that was donated to help her.


I think there should also be some charges against the arts for both her and the composit artist who made up this face. I think the first hint that it didnt really happen should have been a person with a white stripe up the middle of the face.

Thanks for the heads up. Cheers!

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20017099-504083.html

VANCOUVER, Wash. (CBS/AP/KOIN) Prosecuting attorneys have filed theft charges against Bethany Storro, the Vancouver woman who falsely claimed someone threw acid in her face in late August.

The felony second-degree charges filed Monday by Clark County Deputy Prosecutor Tony Golik relate to donations collected for Storro after she was chemically burned Aug. 30.

According to the probable cause documents filed by Vancouver police, fundraisers for Storro reportedly raised $28,000, of which Storro apparently spent about $1,500 on dinner for her parents, clothes for herself and a bill for a previous laser facial peel. Police said Storro spent some of the funds she collected on a new computer and a trip to Seattle, reports KOIN.

In a statement to media Friday, Storro's parents, Nancy and Joe Neuwelt, claimed that the money donated to their daughter would be returned "in the appropriate manner."

"The aggravator is that the defendant, Ms. Storro, took money from victims who were acting as good Samaritans when they gave the money," said Golik.

Golik told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that he issued an arrest warrant for Storro. But he said she was hospitalized as of Monday evening. He didn't know why, but he said police knew her location.

The prosecutor said he would leave it up to the lead detective to decide when to arrest the 28-year-old woman.

Storro originally told police an African American woman approached her Aug. 30 outside a Starbucks in downtown Vancouver and asked, "Hey pretty girl, want something to drink?," before throwing acid in her face.

But Storro's story began to come undone when investigators questioned "discrepancies" in her account of the event. She eventually broke down and confessed to purchasing drain cleaner from a local hardware before applying the acid-like substance to her face in an effort to commit suicide, reports KOIN.

Storro's parents apologized Friday for their daughter's distasteful hoax that garnered worldwide attention and sympathy.

"She's obviously dealing with some deep internal emotional and psychological problems that we had no knowledge of," said mother Nancy as she stood with her husband Joe outside their Vancouver home Friday. "We hope that she'll get the help that she needs."

Storro said she was trying to kill herself when she put what is believed to be caustic drain cleaner on her face, according to a police affidavit filed in Clark County Superior Court.

Vancouver police Cmdr. Marla Schuman described Storro last week as "very remorseful."

"In many ways this is something that just got bigger than what she expected," Schuman.

If convicted of the charges, she could spend a maximum of five years in jail.

Good. The bitch belongs in jail. When are they gonna add filing a false police report>?

lock her up and let her rot