Shock and outrage pour in at the shocking admission by Bethany Storro that she actually threw acid in her own face. INSIDE EDITION has the story.
Yes, it was all a hoax. This beautiful young woman has confessed she splashed acid on her own face. Bethany Storro confessed everything when detectives confronted her with inconsistencies in her story.
"She is very remorseful. I would say defeated. It was very sad," said Commander Marla Shuman of the Vancouver Police.
She could face serious criminal charges, but even the police are asking for compassion.
"It's easy to be angry at somebody, but we also have to realize that we don't know what is going on that would make somebody do something like this to themselves," said Shuman.
Storro, who is hearing impaired, gained international sympathy when these heart-wrenching images were seen around the world. She seemed so innocent, and so brave.
"I have an amazing family and friends that love me and I'm blessed," said Storro in a news conference after the incident.
As INSIDE EDITION reported earlier this week, there were many questions about her claim that she was attacked by a perfect stranger after she parked her car to go to a Starbucks in Vancouver, Washington.
There were no burns on her neck, lips, around the eyes or hairline—injuries that would have occurred had she been splashed in the face with acid.
INSIDE EDITION's Jim Moret reports from outside Bethany Storro's home where she lives with her parents.
Police raided the house and seized a number of items, but we're told, didn't find any acid. She was taken to a local police precinct and that's where she made her astonishing confession. Now she's under siege and everyone wants to know, why did she do it?
Psychologist Jeff Gardere says the answer may lie in a rare mental disorder.
"Something that's called Munchausen syndrome. In other words, she is trying to get sympathy and attention from others by feigning, or in this case, creating a real illness or injury," said Gardere.
Storro's hoax also raised the specter of racisim because she claimed the attacker was a black woman.
Gardere said, " 'Oh it was a black guy. Oh it was a black woman who did this to me' because they believe that other people may tend to believe them that it was motivated by race."
A week after Storro claimed to have been attacked, Derri Valarde of Mesa, Arizona was splashed with acid in what may have been a copycat crime. She spoke with INSIDE EDITION's Diane McInerney.
McInerney asked, "When your heard this was all a hoax, how did you react?"
"I just made me physically ill, really. It was a horrible thought to think that she could do something like that to herself," said Valarde.
Now she is asking if the attack on her would have happened at all, if it wasn't for Storro's outrageous lies.
McInerney asked, "Do you blame Bethany for your attack?"
"Yeah, maybe the person got the idea from her situation. I do wonder if she has any remorse or sympathy," said Valarde.
