An unlicensed “beauty consultant” in Texas has been charged with manslaughter for allegedly providing silicone butt injections to a client who, prosecutors say, later died of a silicone pulmonary embolism.
Houston woman Lisa Fernandez, 47, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with manslaughter for the death of her 38-year-old client Maria McClendon, who died in April of 2018 after allegedly receiving the butt injections from Fernandez days earlier, according to KHOU.
Court documents state that Fernandez obtained the injections illegally and improperly administered the substance, KHOU reports. In the documents, Fernadez is recognized as a “beauty consultant” who has worked out of her home since 2004.
Investigators say that McClendon underwent injections on back-to-back days and felt ill as a result, per KHOU.
A witness told authorities that after the first day of injections went poorly on April 24, 2018, McClendon asked for a refund, but Fernandez refused and said she did not offer refunds, according to ABC 13.
A prosecutor says McClendon went back the next day as she could not get a refund and received a second round of injections, per the Houston Chronicle. Another witness who picked up McClendon said Fernandez had to stop multiple times as McClendon was in a significant amount of pain and had issues breathing, according to the Houston Chronicle.
McClendon reportedly left coughing up blood and was taken to the hospital, according to KHOU. The outlet states, “She was admitted into the emergency room at a local hospital, but she went home to Missouri before the evaluation was finished.”
She was reportedly later hospitalized at Saint Louis University Hospital and died soon thereafter on April 30, 2018, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Court documents state her cause of death was ruled as a “silicone pulmonary embolism,” which prompted an investigation from homicide detectives, KHOU reports.
Following a traffic stop on Tuesday, Fernandez was arrested, and prosecutors state that she admitted to the incident from three years ago while in police custody, per KHOU. Prosecutors say that Fernandez informed investigators that she was not licensed to provide the injections and was aware of the medical risks that could occur if the injections were not administered properly, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Fernandez was arraigned on Wednesday, and her bail was set at $40,000, according to KHOU.
Harris County Assistant District Attorney Nancy Ta believes other victims may have been negatively affected by Fernandez’s procedure.
“We are concerned — cause this is a trend right now to receive buttock injections — that there may be other victims. We would encourage anyone to come forward who has received buttock injections,” Ta stated, per KHOU.