Woman says acid attack will not wreck life
Bethany Storro, 28, had said a woman carrying a cup approached her and asked if she wanted a drink. Storro said she declined, and that's when she was hit with a cup of some sort of acid which caused excruciatingly painful burns on her face.
Police said they came across information that indicated the attack may have been self-inflicted.
"During the course of the investigation, several discrepancies began to emerge regarding the alleged attack," said Vancouver Police Chief Clifford Cook.
"It just kept cascading, and it was like a domino effect," said Cmdr. Marla Schuman. "You look at the time (of the attack) - at night, when people don't usually wouldn't be wearing sunglasses, etc. So it was all those little things that didn't add up." Storro had said she was wearing sunglasses when she was attack -- a decision she claimed ended up saving her eyes.
"As further information began to unfold, our investigators applied for and received authorization for a search warrant," Cook said.
Detectives served a search warrant on Storro's home on Thursday morning and retrieved several items that are being investigated.
Upon being questioned by investigators, Storro admitted she'd inflicted the injuries on herself.
"The attack itself did not occur as she had previously reported," Cook said.
"She was extremely upset. She is very remorseful," said Schuman. "She has shown that this has affected her a great deal."
Investigators added no one had witnessed the acid attack, and no evidence was found to corroborate Storro's claims.
"We did not find the substance that I believe would have been consistent with the injuries that we saw," said Sgt. Scott Creager. "What happened today really didn't surprise me."
The interviews are still ongoing, and details surrounding the incident - including a motive - have not been established, detectives said.
Schuman said the department spent "hundred of hours" investigating what detectives now know was a hoax.
"It really took a toll on our department and the resources we have," she said.
Since her attack, Storro has undergone surgery on her face and doctors have removed dead skin from the areas that were most deeply injured. The woman, who said she would not allow the attack to ruin her life, had even helped police come up with a sketch of her alleged attacker.
She has not been charged.
"I think it's obvious to everybody here that she has a fragile mental state at this point. That's going to be taken into consideration, I'm sure, by the prosecuting attorney," said Schuman.