o Bethany Storro: Pity or punishment?
o Watch for signs of depression
• Aug. 30: A passer-by finds Bethany Storro screaming in pain at about 7:20 p.m. on Columbia Street, between Eighth and Ninth streets, around the corner from Esther Short Park. Her face is burned with a caustic substance. Paramedics rush Storro to the hospital. Police launch a search for the assailant.
• Aug. 31: Storro’s mother, Nancy Neuwelt, talks with reporters near the Starbucks where the alleged attack took place. She said her daughter had been standing outside the passenger side of her car, planning to get some coffee, when a stranger approached her and said, “Hey, pretty girl. How are you? Would you like a drink of this?” Then the woman splashed a cup of acid into her face.
• Sept. 1: Dr. Nick Eshraghi says at a press conference at the Oregon Burn Center at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center that a pair of sunglasses Storro was wearing during the alleged attack likely saved her vision. He performed a dermabrasion procedure he hoped would remove layers of damaged skin from Storro’s burnt face.
• Sept. 2: “For some reason, I had this feeling I needed to buy sunglasses,” Storro, her face covered in bandages, tells media assembled for the second day in a row at Legacy Emanuel. “If I saw her, I would instantly know,” Storro says of her assailant. “I want people to know what this person did to me.” A composite of Storro’s purported attacker is released.
• Sept. 5: Storro is released from the hospital.
• Sept. 10: The Columbian publishes a story that began, “With no suspect arrested 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?” A police spokeswoman says there is no evidence the injuries were self-inflicted. Storro announces on Facebook she had canceled a scheduled appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” A self-defense seminar is held at Anytime Fitness, where Storro was a member, to raise money for her medical expenses.
• Sept. 16: Storro’s story unravels. Vancouver police serve a search warrant at the home shared by Storro and her parents, question her and later hold a press conference to announce she had confessed to harming herself.
• Sept. 20: Exactly three weeks after the 28-year-old hurt herself and zoomed to national prominence, Deputy Prosecutor Tony Golik announces his decision to charge Storro with three counts of second-degree theft by deception. He adds an aggravating factor because the alleged crimes were committed against “good Samaritans.” Court papers say Storro told investigators she wanted to die or get a new face, so she applied drain cleaner to her cheeks, nose and forehead in a public restroom, then drove downtown. Investigators found holes in Storro’s account at the outset of their investigation, according to the affidavit. Among the loose ends: Fred Meyer’s computerized inventory shows she never purchased the vision-saving sunglasses.
• This week: Golik says Storro will brought to court for a first appearance at 8:45 a.m. Wednesday. She retained Vancouver attorney Andrew Wheeler on Friday.
