Autopsy – NBC 6 South Florida

New information about a woman’s death after a popular plastic surgery procedure reveals that she died of the same problem that led to the deaths of more than a dozen other women in recent years.

Tanesha Walker, 47, died in April following a Brazilian butt lift and liposuction at New Life Plastic Surgery Center in Miami.

“My mom isn’t supposed to be dead. She’s still supposed to be here with us,” said Tierra Gosha, Walker’s daughter.

Walker traveled to South Florida in April for the cosmetic surgery. An autopsy report from the Medical Examiner’s Office shows the cause of death was a pulmonary fat embolism and ruled her death an accident.

Months after a woman died following a procedure at a South Florida plastic surgery clinic, the owner of the recovery home where the woman was supposed to go afterward has been arrested for operating that home illegally. NBC 6’s Julie Leonardi reports

NBC 6 Investigators found Walker is one of more than a dozen women who have died the same way in recent years after undergoing a BBL. In 2021, more people died following the procedure than any other year before, doctors told NBC 6.

Walker’s daughter said knowing what killed her mother is just one step towards getting answers.

“I’m not going to say it’s a relief because it’s nowhere near a relief to me, but I appreciate the fact the fact that we know the truth of what really happened,” Gosha said.

Attorneys from New Life told NBC 6 that the procedure went well and Walker left in good spirits and was picked up by the recovery home, Chasing Dreams.

The owner of the recovery home, Charlie Butler, said Walker became unresponsive in the car so she drove her straight to the hospital instead, where Walker died.

In June, Butler was arrested for operating Chasing Dreams illegally. She has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.

Now, Walker’s daughter said they’ve hired an attorney and they want someone to be held accountable for her death.

“I would not allow my mom’s case to go cold, I just won’t. I won’t allow it to happen,” Gosha said.

Gosha said her mom went to another surgeon in Miami beforehand, who refused to operate on her because of her BMI.

NBC 6 asked New Life’s attorney about the autopsy report’s findings. They denied responsibility and told NBC 6 that maybe Walker may have had an underlying condition she didn’t know of, combined with the taxing process of surgery.

The Medical Examiner report said Walker was obese and had a history of hypertension, and prediabetes, among other things.

But Gosha said she wasn’t aware of any underlying conditions and Walker’s primary care doctor cleared her for a breast reduction before flying to Miami.

In February, another New Life patient died after a blood clot ended up in her lungs following liposuction and tummy tuck.

NBC 6 reached out to the owner of Chasing Dreams, and she declined to comment.