Carmen Batiz, Miss Puerto Rico 1983, recalled in an interview the robbery she suffered during the Miss Universe pageant and the strict protocol around the crown she wore, a piece made with diamonds, pearls and 24-karat gold that is now owned by a collector. She said that 43 years ago the crown had to be fetched from a bank, kept in a special semi-round case with a zipper in the middle, and that two security guards accompanied her; after each event it was taken from her, placed in a car and returned to the bank.
Batiz, also a broadcaster, said she had dreamed of being a beauty queen since childhood, watching Miss Universe and Miss Puerto Rico with her father, and that she was recruited while in her fourth year of high school by promoter Áurea Cruz, who invited her to compete in Miss Trujillo Alto, which she won against about 12 or 13 contestants. She described preparing for Miss Puerto Rico with diet, exercise and wardrobe costs, and the social fallout at school, where friendships changed.
She recalled reading 'Ganadora: Trujillo Alto' on Pedro Zervigón’s cue cards and crying. The international pageant was held in Missouri, United States, about a month and a half later.