Woman fabricated story of attack at Silver Creek Park in Norton, park district says

A reported attack at Silver Creek Metro Park in Norton was fabricated by the woman who claimed Sunday she had been splashed with a caustic substance, the Summit Metro Park District said Thursday.

The woman had claimed two men had thrown a substance that ignited on her clothing during a hike on the park's Chippewa Trail.

Summit Metro and Norton Police investigators had interviewed the woman after a bystander on the trail called police. In body camera footage, the woman had frantically told officers that the substance had caught fire.

She was taken to Akron Children's Hospital for treatment.

Online and in local media, the incident generated speculation about the attackers and concern for the woman and the safety of the Norton park.

The park district said Thursday in a news release that "it has been determined that the report of an attack on Chippewa Trail at Silver Creek Metro Park on Sunday, July 28 was falsely made" following a joint investigation involving investigators from the Summit Metro Parks ranger department, Norton Police Department and the State Fire Marshal’s office.

The finding came Wednesday, a park spokesperson said.

The district said the woman admitted her injuries were self-inflicted and that no one else was involved in the incident.

In a phone interview, Claire Merrick, marketing and public relations manager with the parks district, said authorities are determining what follow-up actions to take.

"Our investigators will discuss with the Barberton Municipal Court prosecutor's office to determine whether or not charges would be appropriate," Merrick said.

The district, in its statement, expressed a hope that the woman would receive "the care and support she needs" and said people can call 988, the National Suicide and Crisis Hotline, to seek help coping with personal crises.

The park district acknowledged that the incident has caused considerable concern among parkgoers and the wider community.

"We understand that this incident has caused significant fear for our park visitors," the district said in its statement. "We hope that the conclusion and outcome of this case will reassure those who were wary of visiting the trails, as there is no public threat resulting from this false claim."

Leave a message for Alan Ashworth at 330-996-3859 or email him at aashworth@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj or Facebook at www.facebook.com/alan.newsman.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Woman fabricated story of attack at Silver Creek Park in Norton, park district says