With no suspect identified 10 days after Bethany Storro was found injured by acid burns to her face, speculation by some is raising this question:
Is it possible Storro injured herself?
Asked Thursday night whether police detectives have considered the possibility that Storro might have inflicted the injuries to herself, Detective Sgt. Scott Creager told The Columbian that he couldn’t discuss it. The reasons will become clear later, he said.
Police spokeswoman Kim Kapp said Thursday that various news outlets are the only ones that raised the question of whether Storro’s burns were self-inflicted and said, “We don’t have any evidence that shows that. She’s the witness that’s provided us the most information.”
She added, “We have not had reports of that other than speculation.”
Storro’s mother, Nancy Neuwelt of Vancouver, also has declined to comment on the idea, which she called “negativity.”
Kapp said Thursday that Major Crimes Unit detectives were still focused on looking for a woman whom Storro described as an assailant who, in a random attack, walked up and threw acid in her face on Columbia Street just north of Esther Short Park about 7:15 p.m. on Aug. 30.
Police released an image depicting the woman, based on Storro’s recollection, but the woman hadn’t been found.
“Nobody’s seen that woman, though they’ve seen women who resemble her,” Kapp said Thursday. “We believe the suspect is likely local.”
Storro, 28, who recently moved to her native Vancouver from Priest River, Idaho, was treated at the Oregon Burn Center at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland, where she appeared, with bandages on her face, before news cameras. She’s been released from the hospital.
Since then, Kapp said, “Detectives are in daily contact with her and her family. We’re hopeful some additional information comes as she starts to feel better.”
Detectives have spent several days canvassing the area around the park, Kapp said.
“We’ve talked to everyone who was in the area, including transient populations,” she said.
Detectives found no video of interest in the case, Kapp said.
Storro described her attacker as “pretty” and said she thinks she had three piercings at the top of her left ear. She said the young woman was black, wore no makeup, and had black hair pulled into a ponytail. Storro said the woman was approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall. She was wearing a green top and khaki shorts. Police said the assailant may be slightly built.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Wally Stefan at 360-487-7425.
