Mother and daughter arrested for murder after illegal butt lift goes wrong
‘The internet is filled with these horror stories where they’re cutting the medical grade silicone with the stuff that you would caulk your windows with,’ detective says
A mother and daughter have been charged with murder after a woman died following an illegal butt-lift surgery that went awry at a private home around Los Angeles.
The 26-year-old victim shared a video of herself during the operation in September 2020 at the residence in Encino, just west of Los Angeles, the LAPD told NBC4.
Karissa Rajpaul, who moved from South Africa to the US to try to enter the adult entertainment sector, went through three procedures and died directly after the final one, police say.
Libby Adame and her daughter Alicia Gomez have been arrested and charged with murder.
The deputy chief of the LAPD, Alan Hamilton, told ABC7: “These individuals have no medical training. They’re not experienced and they’re putting people’s lives at risk.”
The LAPD is looking for more victims and is urging women to come forward.
Detective Bob Dinlocker told NBC4: “As we looked into this investigation, we did find that it is occurring a lot. The internet is filled with these horror stories where they’re cutting the medical grade silicone with the stuff that you would caulk your windows with.”
The detective said that these chemicals are not meant for human use and as they enter the bloodstream, they damage the heart, brain, and kidneys.
The LAPD are issuing warnings to avoid the procedures that some are undergoing because they are less expensive than having the same surgery done by a professional.
According to police, the daughter and mother were charging between $3,500 and $4,500 for the procedure, compared to between the $10,000 and $15,000 that a procedure by board-certified professionals would cost.
A survey by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery showed that the number of butt-lifts increased by 77.6 per cent between 2015 and 2019.
A 2017 study showed that the Brazilian butt-lift has “significantly higher mortality rates” compared to other procedures. Among 692 surgeons surveyed, 21 (3 per cent) had had someone die after the procedure.
Investigators suspect that the arrested women injected the victim with chemicals used by professionals but that they had mixed in other substances dangerous to humans.
“They were mixing them with chemicals and other substances that clearly are not appropriate for any medical procedure that would be performed on a human,” Deputy Chief Hamilton told ABC7.
Authorities say they’ve been in touch with people who suffered long-lasting health problems after similar procedures and that they think there could be many other victims.
“We’re also seeking additional victims and relatives of victims who may have had loved ones disfigured or who passed away,” Deputy Chief Hamilton added.