Botched butt injection eyed as possible cause of CT woman's NYC death
WOODLAWN, Bronx (WABC) -- A Connecticut woman is dead after being dropped off at a Bronx hospital in what is being investigated as a possible botched butt injection.
Maxine Messam, 53, was dropped off at Jacobi Medical Center around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday by two women who said they found her near Woodlawn Cemetery.
They claimed the woman asked them for help, and they drove her to the hospital in her own BMW SUV.
The victim was half-naked with no clothing from the waist down.
Doctors later pronounced her dead at the hospital and then discovered multiple injection marks on her butt.
Detectives are considering whether she was the victim of a botched butt injection and are looking to speak with the two women who dropped her off at the hospital.
"There is no substitute for seeing a surgeon, a board certified plastic surgeon, who is trained in these procedures and is able to deal with the complications should they unfortunately happen," said Dr. Scot Glasberg.
Glasberg is a board certified cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgeon in Manhattan who is helping New York State develop more safety guidelines for fat grafting of the buttocks -- a procedure that involves moving fat, usually from the stomach to the rear end.
Three times as many of these procedures are done in the U.S. compared to 10 years ago and can cost upwards of $7,000 which is why some patients seek cheaper, and less safe options.
In Messam's case, doctors at Jacobi say it appears a foreign substance was injected into her buttocks. Even when done correctly and by trained surgeons, there are risks.
"There are risks, one of those risks is getting into an artery or vein and having fat get into that artery or vein, that can be a deadly situation," Glasberg said.
Her death is being probed as suspicious, and the Medical Examiner Office will determine the official cause of death.
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