A 31-year-old mother of two has died following a botched cosmetic procedure carried out inside an illegal home clinic in Queens.
María Paz Peñaloza - who moved to New York from Colombia in 2021 - suffered a cardiac arrest on March 28 while undergoing a butt implant removal procedure at an unlicensed makeshift clinic run out of the first floor of a home in Ditmars Steinway, Astoria.
As reported by the New York Post, the procedure was performed by Felipe Hoyos-Foronda, a Colombian national who, despite holding a medical license in his home country, was not authorized to practice medicine in the United States.
The fatal moment reportedly began when Hoyos-Foronda injected Peñaloza with lidocaine, a common anesthetic.
The Mirror adds that Hoyos-Foronda had posed as a doctor on TikTok.
According to a complaint filed in Queens Criminal Court, she went into cardiac arrest almost immediately after the injection. Lidocaine, while widely used, can become toxic when administered improperly or in large doses over widespread areas, affecting the central nervous system and leading to seizures, irregular heart rhythms, respiratory failure, or cardiac arrest, the Daily Mail adds.
Peñaloza was rushed to the intensive care unit at The Mount Sinai Hospital in Queens, where doctors fought for over two hours to revive her.
She remained on life support for nearly two weeks before being pronounced dead on April 11.
“We never imagined this would happen,” her sister Linney Peñaloza Cabrera, 34, told the New York Daily News. “A friend who went with María called and said she was taken away in an ambulance but she didn’t know how bad it was. She went there because a friend had already gone there for an operation and recommended him.”
Prosecutors believe lidocaine toxicity was the cause of death, though hospital officials have not released additional medical details.
Authorities allege Hoyos-Foronda tried to flee the country and was caught at JFK Airport on April 2 as he prepared to board a flight back to Colombia. Port Authority police had tracked his vehicle using license plate surveillance along the Van Wyck Expressway.
He was arrested and initially charged with second-degree assault and unauthorized practice of a profession. The Queens District Attorney’s Office has not yet confirmed whether his charges have been upgraded following Peñaloza’s death, per The Post.
Inside his makeshift clinic, responding officers discovered syringes, medical devices, and other equipment, suggesting that Hoyos-Foronda may have performed procedures on additional patients.
Following María’s hospitalization, her family launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover travel expenses for her relatives in Colombia, including her parents and eldest son. The fundraiser also included a plea for a humanitarian visa so her family could say goodbye before doctors made the decision to disconnect life support.
“Doctors have made the decision to disconnect her, without allowing time for her family in Colombia — her parents and her eldest son — to travel to say goodbye and give her the farewell she deserves,” the family wrote. “We need your help so that this request is considered by the relevant authorities. In addition, we also request financial support to cover travel costs.
"Every contribution, no matter how small, helps in this painful time.”
The tragic story of María Paz Peñaloza adds to growing concern about the dangers of underground cosmetic surgeries, particularly those performed by unlicensed practitioners luring patients with low costs and informal referrals.
Authorities have not ruled out the possibility that other individuals may have undergone procedures at the same location.
Over $6,000 has been raised on the family's GoFundMe as of this writing.
Our thoughts go out to Peñaloza's family and loved ones at this time.