Savannah investigators seek video in Savannah's Forsyth Park chemical attack

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A mapped 20 block area west of Forsyth Park shows the zone where investigators are asking residents to review doorbell and security video from the night of the Dec. 10 chemical attack. (FBI)

SAVANNAH, Ga. - Federal and local investigators are hoping doorbell and surveillance cameras may have caught the person responsible for pouring a corrosive chemical on a woman walking through the Savannah landmark, Forsyth Park. 

What we know:

The attack happened on Dec. 10 in a 20 block area west of the park. Investigators have been asking residents to share video recorded between 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. that night.

The FBI and Savannah Police said Friday that new investigative details show the attacker entered and exited the park from the west.

The backstory:

Savannah Police said the victim was walking near West Walburg Street and Whitaker Street around 8:15 p.m. when a man approached and poured a chemical on her. The attacker was not known to the victim, officials said.

Savannah Police earlier released images of a person of interest wearing a dark hoodie with a large cartoon rabbit on the front. Investigators now say that individual is not a suspect. The person spoke with detectives voluntarily, and police are following up on information gathered during that conversation. Officers are also working to identify the driver or passengers of a white SUV or crossover seen in the area that night.

What they're saying:

Family later identified the woman as 46-year-old Ashley Wasielewski. She suffered severe second and third degree burns across roughly half her body and was taken to a burn center in Augusta. Her son, Westley Wasielewski, told The Associated Press the chemical was strong enough to melt her car key fob. "We don’t know who did it," he said. "She doesn’t have any enemies. She is a friend to everyone."

Close friend Connor Milam described what she recounted from her hospital bed. "She was instantly like ‘Why are you pouring water on me?’ And then her skin started to burn," Milam said. "She looked down and her pants were starting to burn off her body. She started screaming."

What we don't know:

Investigators have not said what type of chemical was used or how the suspect obtained it. They have not indicated whether the attack was random or targeted. Savannah Police Chief Lenny Gunther said the department has increased patrols in city parks, and Mayor Van Johnson has stressed the urgency of the investigation.

What you can do:

The FBI Savannah Resident Agency is assisting, but Savannah Police remain the lead agency. Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI, submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov, or call Savannah Area Crime Stoppers at 912-234-2020.

Authorities are urging anyone with video or photos from that time window to upload them at fbi.gov/forsythparkattack. The appeal expands the digital tip line first announced when the FBI offered a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.