A Georgia woman is recovering from devastating burns after a stranger poured a corrosive chemical onto her head while she was walking at Forsyth Park in Savannah, a violent and seemingly random attack that has left the community shaken and police scrambling for answers.
Savannah police confirmed Friday that they are searching for a suspect in the assault, which occurred Wednesday night at the city’s iconic Forsyth Park. Authorities said the woman appears to have been attacked by someone she did not know.
The victim, identified by family as 46-year-old Ashley Wasielewski, is being treated at a burn center in Augusta for second- and third-degree burns covering roughly half her body, including her scalp, face, hands and legs. Her son, Westley Wasielewski, said doctors are still assessing the full extent of the injuries.
“We don’t know who did it,” he told The Associated Press. “She doesn’t have any enemies. She is a friend to everyone.”
Westley said his mother had been walking laps around the park Wednesday evening after attending a Christmas program at a nearby church. He learned of the attack when a bystander called him after rushing to help her.
“I could hear her screaming over the phone,” he said.
From her hospital bed, Wasielewski told loved ones that she was walking along the sidewalk at the park’s perimeter when she noticed a shadow approaching from behind. As she turned, the attacker poured liquid over her head, according to Connor Milam, a close friend who has been staying with her at the burn unit.
“She was instantly like, ‘Why are you pouring water on me?’” Milam said. “And then her skin started to burn. She looked down and her pants were starting to burn off her body. She started screaming.”
Investigators believe the liquid was an extremely corrosive chemical. Savannah police spokesman Neil Penttila said detectives are working with the FBI to identify the substance used in the attack. Westley said investigators told the family the chemical was so powerful it melted the key fob that had been in his mother’s pocket.
Savannah Police Chief Lenny Gunther said officers have increased patrols at parks across the city in response to the attack. As of Friday afternoon, no arrests had been made.
Police have released a security camera image of a man wearing what appeared to be a dark hoodie with a large cartoon rabbit on the front. Authorities described him as a person of interest but stressed in a social media post that he is “not currently a suspect in any crime.”
“Our Police Department is treating this case with the highest urgency,” Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said in a Facebook post. “While this attack is deeply troubling, there is currently no information indicating a broader or ongoing threat to the public.”
Police have not publicly named Wasielewski as the victim, but her family and friends said she wanted her story shared in hopes that someone might come forward with information that leads to an arrest.
Milam described Wasielewski as a generous, community-minded person who volunteered at a local nature center and regularly packed bags of food, toiletries and other essentials to give to people experiencing homelessness.
Those closest to her remain stunned by what happened.
“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.”
As investigators continue to search for the attacker, Wasielewski faces a long and painful recovery, while her family waits for answers in a case that has left Savannah rattled by its sheer cruelty and randomness.
