Screenshots of a Google Maps aerial view of an industrial storage yard in Los Angeles have gone viral online because they appear to show the words “HELP” and “TRAFICO” written on the ground. These posts have led to speculation of a possible human trafficking operation.
“BREAKING NEWS: This disturbing message was spotted on Google Maps in Los Angeles, California, with the words ‘Help’ and ‘Traffico’ written in the debris, surrounded by shipping containers. It has been confirmed that the lot next to this location is a shipping yard which has led users to fear that this is connected to human trafficking or worse,” a post with over 40 million views says.
🔥🚨BREAKING NEWS: This disturbing message was spotted on Google Maps in Los Angeles, California, with the words “Help” and “Traffico” written in the debris, surrounded by shipping containers. It has been confirmed that the lot next to this location is a shipping yard which has… pic.twitter.com/swvBnSogXu
— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) January 26, 2025
The satellite imagery includes coordinates 34°03’17.8″ N 118°13’32.2″ W.
One post with 16 million views says, “RUMORS ARE CIRCULATING ABOUT THESE COORDINATES IN LA AFTER THE WORD ‘HELP’ WAS DISCOVERED WRITTEN IN THE DIRT DOZENS OF TIMES.” Another post with 11 million views asks, “This looks like a cry for help in Los Angeles. WTF is going on at these coordinates?”
The VERIFY team looked into whether the images are real.
THE QUESTION
Are the Google Maps satellite images of a Los Angeles storage yard with “HELP” written on the ground real?
THE SOURCES
- Google Maps and Google Earth
- Robynn Tysver, a Union Pacific spokesperson
- Jan. 27 X post from the Los Angeles Police Department
THE ANSWER
Yes, the satellite images are real. But police say there’s no evidence of nefarious activity at that location
WHAT WE FOUND
The Google Maps satellite image of the Los Angeles property does show the words “HELP” and “TRAFICO” written on the ground. However, police and the owners of the property say there is no evidence to support social media claims linking the location to human trafficking.
The satellite image was taken above the 500 block of Mission Avenue in Los Angeles. The property is owned by Union Pacific Railroad (UP), the Los Angeles Police Department told VERIFY in an email. Police referred us to Union Pacific for more information.
Robynn Tysver, the spokesperson for UP, confirmed the word “HELP” has been visible on aerial imagery of the property for at least a year.
“Photos circulating on Google maps that show the word ‘help’ on Union Pacific property were created about a year ago – no one was or is in danger. A man trespassed on Union Pacific and other nearby properties to repeatedly create these misleading messages. We want to remind the public that it is illegal – and more importantly unsafe – to trespass on Union Pacific property,” Tysver said.
Using Google Earth’s timelapse feature, VERIFY confirmed the words were not present in satellite images in September 2022 but appeared by June 2023.
An X user named @LAguy310 visited the Union Pacific property in January, seemingly in response to the viral images, and filmed his encounter with a woman who told him a man named Jose wrote “HELP” on his belongings and was responsible for the markings on the property’s ground.
The Los Angeles Police Department responded to the video, stating, “We’ve had several different contacts with the individual you speak of. He has refused housing or a mental health evaluation. There is no evidence of Human Trafficking. He has been at the location for a few years.”