A Texas woman has claimed she was sent to hospital after touching a poisoned napkin placed on her car door.
On Tuesday (16 August), Erin Mims celebrated her birthday at a Houston restaurant with her husband.
When they left the car, Mims said the napkin was nowhere to be seen, but when she returned, a mysterious tissue was wrapped around the car door handle. Watch Mims speaking about the ordeal below:
Thinking nothing of it, Mims threw the napkin away and went to wash her hands in the restaurant. But by the time she returned to her car, Mims said her hands were tingling.
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She said in a video shared on Facebook: “I just threw it [the napkin] out. I opened the door with the tips of my fingers. I asked my husband, did you put a napkin in the door? And he said no."
Mims’ symptoms quickly worsened, and she was taken to the hospital where doctors carried out a CAT scan, blood tests and urine samples. According to Mims, she was told by medical staff that her vitals were ‘all over the place’.
Describing her symptoms, Mims explained: "Maybe five minutes, my whole arm started tingling and feeling numb. I couldn't breathe. I started getting hot flashes, my chest was hurting, my heart was beating really fast."
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She added: “The doctor came in, and told me it wasn't enough in my system to determine what it was, but said it was acute poisoning from an unknown substance.”
Fox 26 notes that a doctor told Mims she’d likely been the victim of a failed kidnapping attempt.
Meanwhile, the Houston Police Department told the outlet this is the first time the department has ever seen a case like this.
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Mark Winter, managing director of the Southeast Houston Poison Centre, confirmed to Fox that Mims' symptoms matched with hundreds of poisons.
"The probability is that you would have to have a lot more than just a casual exposure," Winter explained.
“In her video, her symptoms match hundreds of different poisons. It is possible. I've learned over my 40 years, that anything is possible when it comes to the human body."
Mims, a local hair salon owner, warned her Facebook friends: “I'm just recording this to let you all know be careful.”
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UNILAD has approached the Houston Police Department for comment.
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Topics: US News, Crime, World News
Aisha Nozari