A Michigan woman who believed she was the target of a human trafficker’s tactic was actually the victim of a prank, according to police.
WEYI reported that two men admitted to putting the shirt on Ashley Hardacre's car as a prank. They told police they did not know of the prank's connection to human trafficking and apologized for scaring Hardacre.
On Feb. 16, Hardacre said she found a flannel shirt wrapped around her windshield wiper while leaving her job at Genesee Valley Center in Flint Township, Michigan. There also was a running car nearby.
Feeling uneasy, she left the parking lot and discarded the shirt after taking a picture of it.
Hardacre reported the incident on Facebook along with a message that has been shared more than 100,000 times; the post has since been taken down.
Flint Township police also saw the post and made contact with Hardacre.
A follow-up investigation and mall security camera footage produced a vehicle description and the two possible suspects. Security camera footage also showed the men leaving the parking lot more than an hour after Hardacre left, WEYI reported.
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