AUGUSTA, Ga. – A Savannah woman faces a long road to recovery after a stranger attacked her with acid that ate through her clothes and covered 50% of her body with burns.

Ashley Wasielewski is trying to recover after receiving a first round of emergency surgery at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital in Augusta.

The attack happened last Wednesday at Savannah’s iconic Forsyth Park when a man stepped out of the shadows and poured acid all over Wasielewski.

The recovery has been extremely difficult, according to her friend Kristen Oddi, of Marietta.

Most of the burns have been diagnosed as third-degree, covering over 50% of her body, Oddi wrote on a GoFundMe page.

She said it’s unlikely one burned area of Wasielewski’s scalp will ever grow hair again.

She added that the most crucial next step is to see if Ashley’s body will accept the cadaver skin from a recent surgery.

If that happens, skin graft surgeries will proceed, Oddi said.

Plastic surgery is ahead for her, but there’s no timetable yet.

Beyond that, Wasielewski faces rehabilitation, occupational therapy, wound management, long-term support and follow-up.

For now, she’s stable, according to Oddi.

And despite the hardship she’s been through and that lies ahead, she’s smiling in a photo from her hospital bed, with little other than her eyes and mouth visible through openings in gauze that covers her face.

“She will come back so much stronger,” Oddi said. “That, I don’t have a single doubt about.”

The investigation continues

Police are looking for the suspect and have spoken with two witnesses.

They’re hoping to speak with a third person whose photo they posted and to find the driver of a vehicle that was spotted nearby.

Meanwhile, the FBI is offering a $5,000 reward for tips.

Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Augusta University’s Healthy Grandparents program had its Christmas party Sunday.

Santa is continuing his trip across the csra and was at the party to give presents to the kids.

The program was started in 1999 to support grandparents raising their children.

They help with necessary services like food assistance and transportation.

We spoke with one of the grandparents about the program.

“My grandchildren love it. They do a lot of things going on the year, like summer camp and all that stuff, book bag, getaways,” said Carolyn Thompson.

The program has helped more than 660 families, 900 grandparents, and 1,300 grandchildren.

Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

Augusta, Ga. – In a game that saw 19 lead changes, Georgia College and State prevailed over Augusta 99-91 in overtime Saturday at Christenberry Fieldhouse. The Jaguars fall to 2-2 in Peach Belt Conference play and 6-7 overall. The Bobcats are now 3-0 in conference play and 6-2 overall.

C.J. Jones of GCSU was the star of this one as he poured in 42 points to lead all scorers and also grabbed eight rebounds in the win.

The Jaguars fell behind midway through the second half, but with just one second left in regulation, T.J. Baker hit a three-pointer to send the game into overtime. But in the extra period, GCSU outscored AU 18-10 for the winning margin. 

Luis Nonfon, who had another double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, started the scoring in overtime and gave the Jags the 83-81 lead. GCSU then rattled off five straight points to take the lead, one they would not surrender. 

The Jaguars had five players in double figures led by Elías Pálsson who tallied 22 points while grabbing eight rebounds. T.J. Baker and Tobias Prall each had 18 points while Charlie McBeath scored 13. 

Augusta hit on just 35% of their shots from the field while GCSU hit on 52.5%. The Bobcats outscored Augusta 46-22 in the paint and went 8-18 from three-point range while Augusta finished 10 of 29 from deep. From the foul line, both teams went 29-36. 

Other than Nonfon grabbing double figures in rebounds, Pálsson eight rebounds and was a perfect 12-12 from the foul line. 

Next up for the Jaguars will be a battle with Reinhardt University on Thursday at 11 a.m., part of Columbia County Education Day.