A series of eerie “Help” messages spotted on Google Maps has sparked concern in downtown Los Angeles.

Chilling messages begging for ‘help’ were seen on Google Maps. Credit: Google Maps

According to Metro, the cryptic messages were located on a plot of land near the Los Angeles River, North Mission Road, and E Cesar E Chavez Avenue.

The area appears to be storage or wasteland, situated next to a shipping container yard and close to the Union Pacific Railroad.

While most of the visible words spell “Help,” one message reportedly reads “Traffico,” raising alarm that the markings could be a distress call from victims of human trafficking.

The discovery quickly gained traction on social media, with many curious users dissecting the messages and their potential meanings.

One Reddit user shared a chilling theory: “I also see the words ‘trafico,’ ‘federales,’ ‘LAPD,’ and ‘FBI,’ and this looks like a building site.

“If it’s a joke, it is in dangerously poor taste,” they penned. “This sounds like someone or a group of someones are being trafficked and used materials available to them to spell out an SOS. I hope if a random person noticed, authorities noticed as well.”

A user known as “LA Guy” on X took it upon himself to investigate further, sharing updates and videos of the area.

In one video filmed from the side of the road, he speculated on the origins of the messages: “I honestly don’t know if this is just kids fooling around or something real, but you can get into the yard through… a hole in the fence.”

Pointing out the open visibility of the area, he added: “If you’re writing that, everybody sees you. It seems to me like it’s just a bunch of kids playing a prank.”

In a follow-up video, LA Guy spoke to locals familiar with the site. A man suggested the messages were written by people experiencing homelessness, while a woman in the area claimed the markings were the work of someone named José.

“[José’s] the one who puts it (help) all the time,” she explained. “He writes it everywhere… it’s been years.”

However, she admitted she didn’t know why José created the messages.

The unsettling discovery has left the internet divided.

While some fear the messages could be a desperate plea from victims, others believe they may be the work of a distressed individual or simply a prank.