Maria Hernandez says burns and unanswered questions still shape her life as investigators consider next steps.
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC — A year after a robbery on Hilton Head Island ended with a chemical thrown on her body, Maria Hernandez is renewing her plea for accountability and clarity. The Dec. 20, 2024 attack left the mother with burn scars and lingering trauma, and no arrests have been announced.
Hernandez’s case has resurfaced as the Lowcountry follows a separate chemical attack this month in Savannah. She says the new attention has reopened old fears and a familiar question: who targeted her and why. Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office officials previously closed the Hilton Head case pending new information, according to Hernandez and her family, but she wants investigators to take another look. The renewed focus comes as she continues medical treatment, navigates work disruptions and counts mounting bills, underscoring the stakes for a victim still living with physical and emotional damage.
On the evening of Dec. 20, 2024, Hernandez was driving home from a bank when two people robbed her along Whooping Crane Way, a residential corridor on Hilton Head Island. She told them to take the car and her belongings and “leave me alone,” she later recalled. Instead, she said, one attacker poured a chemical that burned through two jackets and seared her arm, chest and leg. “I told my daughter that I am dying,” Hernandez said, remembering a panicked phone call moments after the assault. She believes a hand raised in reflex shielded her face from more serious injury. She spent the holiday season in a hospital and, by her account, has cycled through wound care, laser treatments and medications ever since.
Hernandez, who was interviewed in Spanish with family translating at times, says the attack reshaped daily routines and self-image. Sleeveless dresses remain in her closet, untouched. She now takes medicine to sleep and for depression. Her son, Francisco, says two other cars were on the road that night and believes those drivers “saw something” but kept going. Hernandez said deputies told her they might seek cellphone data that could show devices near the scene, though she has not been told what, if anything, that search produced. The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office has not released suspect names in the Hilton Head case, and authorities have not said what specific substance was used. She describes the liquid by its effects: it melted fabric and left scars. Unknowns still outweigh answers.
The December assault in Savannah, where a 46-year-old woman was doused near Forsyth Park, has amplified Hernandez’s frustration and empathy. She said the newer case “burned more” and imagines that victim’s pain. In both incidents, investigators described an assailant approaching from behind in a public setting, then fleeing as the victim suffered acute burns. Savannah authorities have sought witnesses and video from nearby streets in an area that typically draws evening walkers and tourists. Fundraisers and rewards have grown there, drawing national attention to chemical attacks that are rare but devastating. For Hernandez, the visibility is a reminder that her own case remains open-ended, and that her first call for help came one year ago without a name to attach to it.
Procedurally, Hernandez wants the Hilton Head file reviewed. The Sheriff’s Office closed the case pending new leads, her family said, a common step when detectives exhaust tips but lack probable cause for an arrest. Hernandez said she has asked investigators to reopen it, and that she was told potential digital records — including possible phone data — could help. A formal request or warrant for such data often depends on what evidence exists, including timelines, surveillance logs or witness statements that point to a suspect device. As of Sunday, no hearing dates, arrests or charges have been publicly announced in the Hilton Head case. In Savannah, police have held periodic briefings, circulated images and sought the driver of a white SUV seen on Whitaker Street around the time of that attack, signaling active canvassing and evidence collection there.
On Hilton Head, the scars are physical and visible. Hernandez speaks of embarrassment when strangers stare at her arm. At home, she and her family sort through medical paperwork and plan for more procedures after she completed her first laser surgery in November. “There are nights that I still can’t sleep,” her son said. The holidays, once marked by family gatherings, now evoke the sterile smell of a hospital ward from last year. Neighbors have offered small donations and words of support. Hernandez balances gratitude with a simple, steady request: that someone who saw something on Whooping Crane Way on Dec. 20 come forward, and that investigators find the thread that finally turns her case from mystery into resolution.
Hernandez’s case remains without a named suspect. She says she will keep asking for answers as the one-year mark passes and the investigation’s next steps take shape. The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office has not announced new developments. The next milestone is whether the case is formally reopened for additional leads in the coming days.
Author note: Last updated December 21, 2025.