What started as a routine shopping trip at a Florida Walmart quickly turned into a frightening medical emergency for TikTok creator Cristin Ludlow (@cristinludlow).
In a video that’s been viewed more than 992,500 times, she detailed how a brief encounter with a stranger left her dizzy, disoriented, and convinced she had been drugged.
What happened at this Walmart?
Ludlow explained she was in the store looking for a table when a young woman approached her, claiming to be a missionary from Brazil.
After a short conversation, the woman unzipped her backpack and pulled out two small books wrapped in worn plastic. She told Ludlow they could be hers for $20.
Out of habit, Ludlow took the books in her hands. Almost immediately after handing them back and declining to buy them, she started feeling lightheaded. “Within 30 seconds to a minute, I was so dizzy,” she recalled.
She then spotted the same woman down another aisle, texting “very nervously.” The sudden symptoms made Ludlow suspect there was something on the books she had touched.
“It felt like I took 20 painkillers all at one time,” she said, describing how hard it became to stay upright and form sentences.
Choosing safety over instinct
Her first thought was to head for her car, but she said she felt “clear instructions” to stay in a crowded place instead.
She sat on a bench near the pharmacy and told the pharmacist she believed she had been drugged and was alone.
Staff prepared Narcan in case her breathing was affected, called security, and stayed with her until she stabilized.
Ludlow admitted she couldn’t recall exactly what the woman looked like, other than being shorter with long black hair. She says this is a sign of how quickly the disorientation set in.
She believes the interaction may have been linked to an attempted trafficking situation.
While she avoided harm, she shared her story to urge others not to accept items from strangers and, if they start feeling unwell, to immediately tell people nearby they are alone. “Make a scene,” she said, adding that those two decisions could be what saved her life. She adds in a follow-up post that she filed a police report and got drug tested. However, she has not revealed the test results.
How common is this kind of poisoning?
The American CPR Care Association notes that certain substances—including pesticides, fertilizers, and toxic plants like poison ivy—can be absorbed through the skin.
However, confirmed cases of strangers deliberately poisoning others this way are rare, and viral stories are often difficult to verify.
While such an incident is possible, experts say the motivation behind targeting random shoppers remains unclear.
Commenters are horrified for the Walmart shopper
Viewers were shaken by Ludlow’s experience and offered both advice and criticism of the state of public safety.
“Walmart has video, file a police report!” one person wrote. Another admitted, “Being antisocial is really paying off for me…”
Some suggested ways to help others in similar situations.
“Flip it. If someone is disoriented or passed out & someone says they are with them, ask that person what the affected person’s name is then find their I.D.” They continued, “No I.D., call 911. If they run off…you know you just saved someone!”
Others expressed frustration. “What a sick world this has become. America is no longer a high trust society,” one comment read.
@cristinludlow I wanted to share my story about getting drugged in a Walmart and what I did to protect myself to empower other women and young people. Know what to look for and know what to do if you are ever in this situation. We all need to look out for each other! God bless you all ❤️ #fyp #liveinspired #foryou #4upage #storytime #protection #foryoupage ♬ original sound – Cristin Ludlow ?
The Mary Sue has reached out to Ludlow via TikTok direct messages for more information.
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