News
Anesthesia killed Vegas woman in illegal cosmetic buttocks surgery
Posted: Jul 29, 2011 2:05 PM by Matt Stafford
LAS VEGAS (AP) - An autopsy report shows a Las Vegas woman who died after an illegal buttocks enhancement surgery in a makeshift clinic had an adverse reaction to local anesthesia.
Clark County Coroner Mike Murphy says Friday that 42-year-old Elena Caro died from an allergic reaction to the tumescent anesthesia commonly used in cosmetic surgery procedures. Caro's death has been ruled accidental.
Murphy says the autopsy does not preclude criminal charges.
Ruben Matallana-Galvas and his wife Carmen Torres-Sanchez of Colombia face charges of murder and practicing medicine without a license in Caro's April death. They have pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors say they are hoping to avoid trial by persuading the defendants to plead guilty to manslaughter.
The lawyer representing the husband and wife could not immediately be reached for comment.
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