Teen Survives Acid Attack, 'It Melted My Clothes Off'

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - A Dallas teenager survived a horrific acid attack and is exclusively speaking to CBS11 in hopes police will catch her assailant.

"It melted my clothes off. I was in so much pain," said Alma from her hospital room, where she's been recovering for more than a week.

At 1 a.m. on Father's Day, she came home from work with her mom when they noticed their front porch light was out.

"I see, like, this man just standing in front of me with a ski mask and a red jacket," said the 17-year-old. "I think it was a red hoodie, and he just like, he had a cup and he just threw it at me."

Acid immediately began to eat away at her skin. The acid mainly landed on her back but it also burned her chest. Alma's attacker went after her twice, the second time, hurling acid at her face.

"On my chest, on my back, on my eye and on my face a little bit and then my... my ear," she remembered.

Alma's mother and brother were both with her when the attack happened. Her little brother was also splashed with acid and spent a day in the hospital with minor burns. Alma's mother said she was hysterical during the attack, but was able to remember there was a kiddie pool close by. She dunked Alma in the water, trying her best to wash away the acid.

The young woman has had several surgeries at Parkland Hospital and skin grafts to help her heal. Soon, she hopes to be well enough to learn to walk again and says she's recovering faster than doctors expected, just in time for her senior year.

"I might not look the same, but not that bad."

She doesn't know who attacked her, but she suspects she knows them. The attacker wrote this message on her house: "Alma, [expletive] N-word [expletive] love [expletive]."

"I believe in karma. So now they're going to get it ten times worse."

Dallas police are asking anyone with information to contact Detective M. Bailey (214) 671.3621 or B. Billings (214) 671.3083 at the Dallas Police Department Assaults Unit.