FBI identifies chemical used in acid attack that severely Georgia injured woman
FBI investigators say they have identified the chemical used in an acid attack in a Savannah park in December.
The attack left 46-year-old Ashley Wasielewski with third-degree burns covering half her body. Officials continue to follow every lead they receive in the hopes of identifying her attacker.
The agency is not releasing the name of the substance at this time. The testing was done by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, officials confirmed. A spokesperson for the FBI said that special agents are following up leads as a result of the tests.
A $5,000 reward is available for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the attack.
The FBI and the Savannah Police Department have set up a digital tip line for photos and videos that may aid in the investigation here.
Questions surround disturbing acid attack
On Dec. 10, Wasielewski had gone for a walk after attending a Christmas program at a nearby church. She was walking laps at Forsyth Park when the attack happened. Her son, Westley Wasielewski, said he learned about what happened through a phone call from a bystander who stopped to help his mother. He said he could hear her screaming in pain over the phone.
From her hospital bed, Wasielewski told family and friends that she was walking along the sidewalk near the edge of the park when she noticed a shadow coming up behind her, said close friend Connor Milam. As she turned around, the person poured a liquid that police now say was acid over her head.
"She was instantly like, 'Why are you pouring water on me?' And then her skin started to burn," Milam told the Associated Press. "She looked down, and her pants were starting to burn off her body. She started screaming."Milam described her friend as a giving person who volunteered at a local nature center and packed grocery bags with snacks, toiletries and other essentials to give to homeless people. She said those close to Wasielewski are shocked and baffled by the attack.
"They didn't rob her. They didn't take anything from her," Milam said. "This was a random person in the park who went out of their way to disfigure another human being."
A slow recovery after the shocking attack
A GoFundMe page created by friends of Wasielewski has raised more than $318,000 to help cover her medical bills and long-term recovery costs. According to the page, the money will go toward burn unit care, surgeries, rehabilitation, wound care, skin grafts, and adaptive needs.
In the latest update posted on the fundraiser on Dec. 24, the organizer said Wasielewski had recently undergone another surgery that included multiple skin grafts.
"We did receive encouraging news from her medical team, and all of her doctors remain optimistic about her recovery," the update reads. "That said, this will be a long and challenging road ahead, both physically and mentally."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
