A Maryland woman died after receiving a cosmetic procedure from an unlicensed plastic surgeon to enlarge her buttocks in New York City, police sources confirm to NBC 4 New York.
Kelly Mayhew, 34, of Suitland, Maryland, was found unresponsive in a Queens home Saturday after receiving a cosmetic procedure there, police said.
Mayhew, who worked for media company BET, had driven to Far Rockaway earlier that day with her mother for the procedure.
The woman had agreed to perform the procedure after being contacted by Mayhew's friend, her mother, Latrice Mayhew, said.
Mayhew told NBC 4 New York over the phone the woman administering the procedure "panicked."
"I thought she was a doctor and certified," she said.
After receiving silicone injections in her buttocks, Mayhew started having difficulty breathing, her mother told police, according to the Daily News. Her mother began to perform CPR, but the suspect ran from the house and fled in a gray SUV, the Daily News reported.
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Police arrived at the home at 10-31 Dickens St. at about 6:45 p.m. EMS technicians brought Mayhew to an area hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Mayhew's cause of death will be determined by a medical examiner, officials said.
A description of the suspect was not immediately available, police said.
Neighbors were stunned to discover the illegal operation was taking place in the home.
"I'm very surprised," one neighbor said. "If I knew, I'd report it."
In a statement Tuesday, BET said: "We are saddened by the death of our colleague and friend Kelly Mayhew. Our heart goes out to her family and we extend our deepest sympathies for their loss.”
Last year, a 28-year-old New York City woman died in a similar botched butt injection performed at a Meatpacking District hotel. The suspect, 22-year-old Tamara Blaine, was charged with second-degree manslaughter and first-degree assault.