Miss Peru hails a taxi driver

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Miss Peru went on national TV to beg an anonymous Mexican taxi driver to return a suitcase full of clothes, shoes and jewelry that her dad forgot in the trunk when they returned to their hotel after Monday night’s Miss Universe contest.

Jimena Elias Roca not only lost the contest, she’s out a $4,600 gown she never got to wear. She had it in case she was a finalist.

‘If you bring it, I can give you an autographed photo,’ she said during the Televisa interview. ‘Please, Mr. Taxi Driver, bring back my suitcase. I’m really worried about it. Tomorrow I’m leaving, so please bring it to the Camino Real hotel.’

Miss Peru didn’t have much fun at the contest. ‘It went badly,’ she said. She wasn’t the only one who ran into trouble at the 56th Miss Universe contest.

The largely Mexican audience booed Miss USA, Rachel Smith, when she appeared onstage at the National Auditorium. Nothing personal, commentators said later, just an outburst of animosity for a country they see as paying billions to Mexican drug kings while trying to boot out Mexican working stiffs.

Posted by Cecilia Sanchez and Sam Enriquez in Mexico City