Here is an international mystery is you ever saw one. It all started when a Brighton, Michigan woman discovered a note that read, “Help Me! Plz.” inside a pack of girls’ underwear. The perplexity is now being investigated by a New York Company, connected to the family of the famous designer, Issac Mizrahi.
Nicole Perez bought a pack of Tinkerbell underwear for her daughter at a mom-to-mom sale. She thought she was getting a good deal, but the Brighton mother had no idea of the hidden message inside the package.
Perez found the handwritten note on a piece of cardboard insert that read, “Help me! Plz.”
IMAGE SOURCE: IJREVIEW
IMAGE SOURCE: IJREVIEW
The underwear package is labeled “Made in the Philippines,” and is manufactured by Handcraft Manufacturing Corporation in New York.
“I was terrified. I just felt like everything just dropped to my stomach,” Perez said.
A quick thinking Nicole emailed the manufacturer, who promptly replied with an apology and an offered for a new pack of underwear. But Perez said she couldn’t ignore the nagging hunch that someone—perhaps the factory worker who packed the underwear—was reaching out for help by conveying a desperate message to whoever discovered it.
An attempt to contact whoever was at the other end of the number was futile. Rebecca Tungol, president of the Philippine American Cultural Center of Michigan, said the number might be for a pre-paid cell phone, like many people in the Philippines have. Unfortunately, that makes it untraceable.
IMAGE SOURCE: IJREVIEW
IMAGE SOURCE: IJREVIEW
Consumers have found so-called “cry for help” notes inside packagings before. An Oregon woman found a note written in Vietnamese inside a pack of Hanes boxers.
President of Handcraft Manufacturing responded to a 7 Action News’ inquiry. He confirmed the note was written by a factory worker, and that the company continually undergoes auditing by its licensors and retailers to ensure their factories are in line with labor laws.
Perez said she will be sending the underwear and original packaging back to the company so officials can investigate the matter. She has also become very aware of the items she now buys.
Strange, indeed!
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