From the just-published Last Days:

MONDAY AUGUST 30 Today brought awfulness in Vancouver, Washington, where this evening 28-year-old Bethany Storro was getting something out of her car when a stranger approached to ask, "Hey, pretty girl, do you want to drink this?" then threw a cup of acid in her face. Details come from the Associated Press, which reports Storro was rushed to the hospital with severe burns and described her attacker to police as a black woman between 25 and 35, with slicked-back hair in a ponytail. Lucky break: Just prior to the attack, Storro had purchased a pair of sunglasses, which will be credited with helping to save her eyesight. On Thursday, Storro will establish her badassery by facing the press with her bandage-wrapped head to recount the horrific attack (described to MSNBC as "the most painful thing ever"), reiterate her refusal to let the assault "wreck her life," and express bafflement over her attacker's motives. "Was it a dare or did the woman wake up Monday morning and tell herself that today she was going to 'carry some acid in a cup and throw it on the first person I see'?" The acid-throwing psycho remains at large.

This evening brought an email from Slog tipper Greg, directing me to an unbylined story in the Vancouver Voice, featuring this (bolds mine):

in the course of my journalistic probe into the matter, I spoke to several people who claimed to have witnessed the incident. Two of them stated Storro was clearly alone when she dropped to the ground screaming. Alone. As in no one attacking her and especially no African-American female being in the area, let alone fleeing the scene after the attack.

The two alleged witnesses are members of the park’s homeless crowd and only gave their street names, “Kiddles” and “Rajazz.” Several others in the homeless click at the park made similar accounts of the events of that night. They cited a fear of the police as the reason for not coming forward.

But then:

More traditionally [sic] members of society have also started to question key details of Storro’s account. A few employees of nearby businesses and one VPD officer also voiced concerns about certain details of Storro's version of events. Unlike me, the employees and officer are keeping their names and necks’ safe. Keeping their identities out of print was a required condition for them to discuss the incident with me.

And then:

For those that dismiss homeless people as lacking any credibility, remember it was a homeless man that first reached Storro and started to yell for help the night of the incident. According to The Columbian, even that good Samaritan denies seeing anyone matching the description Storro gave of her alleged assailant.

And then:

In addition to the lack of any public confirmation of the suspect’s existence, there are a few details of the incident that puzzle me.

First, how clearly could could [sic] have Storro heard what her attacker said if she is partially deaf? As media reports have indicated, Storro had spinal meningitis twice when she was young that left her hearing impaired.

Second..

Read the whole thing here. As I said, the acid-throwing psycho remains at large. (And however this plays out, Bethany Storro's bad-assery remains unassailable.)

Originally posted last night, moved up to today.