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Share This \| Related No Hoax for Miss Puerto Rico: Ingrid Marie Rivera Was Peppered
By Cathy Beers Dec 20, 2007

Police have decided that Ingrid Rivera, the newly crowned Miss Puerto Rico, was peppered. The beauty queen had earlier claimed that pageant officials believed that she was attacked with pepper spray during the competition. Rivera still sucked it up and beat twenty-nine pageant rivals to become the 2008 Miss Universe contestant, despite breaking out twice in hives - a red swollen rash.

No Hoax for Miss Puerto Rico: Ingrid Marie Rivera Was Peppered (NBC)

The reason given at the time for the rash and hives, her clothes were doused in pepper spray. NBC's Kerry Sanders reported from San Juan that investigators were very skeptical that pepper spray was involved and other contestants have wondered why no swelling or redness was evident while she was on stage.

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Many people cried hoax when cops announced that they hadn't found any pepper spray when they tested her clothes. Now there has been an instant replay review of sorts. Cops now have said that there was pepper spray found after more extensive tests. Perhaps they should have said the first tests were inconclusive as the beauty queen was put under the spotlight of scandal.

In a pretty good "oops" moment cops say that after conducting numerous interviews, they believe a perpetrator did in fact spray the black dress that she wore on stage. The suspect is a volunteer, rather than a fellow contestant. Police haven't identified the suspect or the motive, and the DA has not decided whether to file charges.

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"Miss Puerto Rico Universe was speaking the truth," said San Juan police spokesman Lt. Eddie Hernandez, according to the Associated Press. "She was being sincere about the allegations."

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