Woman Accused Black Woman In Attack Says She Lied

28 year old Bethany Storro said an unknown assailant, described as an African-American woman with an athletic build and slicked back hair pulled into a pony tail, threw a cup of acid in her face in front of a Starbucks in Vancouver, WA. on August 30th.

Police launched an investigation and spent hundreds of hours on the case and the community came together to offer donations for Storro's treatments.
While investigating, police had questions about the caustic liquid's splash patterns on Storro's face and knew that the incident could not have happened as she described. "There were too many discrepancies in her account, including wearing sunglasses in the evening" says Police Chief Clifford Cook.

Cook also says it has had an impact on the whole community. "It has brought negative attention on our community that isn't deserved." Storro's family describe her as being in a fragile mental state.

Storro credited a new pair of sunglasses -- which she said she bought just 20 minutes before the attack -- with saving her eyesight.

"God is watching over me," Storro, of Vancouver, told CNN affiliate KATU in Portland, Oregon, at the time. "I believe in him. That his hands are on me and I can't live the rest of my life like that -- in fear. I can't let what she did to me wreck my life."

Storro told KATU that she had stopped at a Vancouver Starbucks about 7:15 p.m., just after she had gone back to buy a pair of sunglasses that she had seen earlier. The woman walked up to her and said, "Hey pretty girl, do you want to drink this?"

When Storro declined, the woman threw the contents of the cup in her face and ran off, Storro claimed at the time.