Death of mother-of-two, 38, who died on operating table after botched plastic surgery in Tijuana, is being investigated by FBI
Keuana Weaver, 38, travelled to Tijuana with her friend Kanisha Davis for cosmetic surgery
The FBI has joined the investigation into the death of an American woman, who died after having liposuction in Tijuana at the hands of a doctor who was not qualified as a plastic surgeon.
Keuana Weaver, a 38-year-old mother of two from Long Beach, died on the operating table when her liposuction and tummy tuck went wrong.
Two other women also became seriously ill after traveling to the clinic for liposuction and other procedures on the same day, and all were operated on by Dr Jesus Manuel Baez Lopez.
Now, her family members say they have been contacted and interviewed by an FBI agent, as the agency looks into the facts behind Weaver's untimely death, the San Diego Union-Tribune report.
'I’m glad that they’re looking into it. I hope they do find a case. This is ridiculous that a woman died and he just doing surgeries,' said Renee Weaver, Keuana's mother.
The group, lured by the promise of cheap procedures, crossed from California into Mexico for the January 29 operations.
Weaver died on the operating table at the Art Siluette Aesthetic Surgery clinic.
Her friend Kanisha Davis, a nurse, underwent the same procedures and was left with hemorrhaging and a hematoma, requiring two weeks in hospital in Pomona.
The third women Baez operated on that day, Esmeralda Iniguez, had to be rushed across the border to Chula Vista, suffering from septic shock.
Baez, who is not a member of the professional group Asociacion Mexicana de Cirugia Plastica, Estetica y Reconstructiva, had a different clinic shut down in April 2015 for 'failing to meet the minimum requirements to operate legally.'
Keuana with her mother Renee, who believed that Keuana had gone to Florida
Dr Jesus Manuel Baez Lopez operated on all three women on January 29: one died, and two were left seriously ill in hospital
State law in Baja California since 2014 has stipulated that only certified plastic surgeons can perform liposuction and a range of other procedures such as tummy tucks.
Báez is not a plastic surgeon, according to his website at the Arte Siluette clinic, and only qualified for cosmetic surgery.
Meanwhile, the two other women who received plastic surgery at the hands of Dr. Báez on the same day as Weaver's surgery and subsequent death say they fell extremely ill following their procedures.
One said she suffered kidney failure while the other revealed she was hospitalized for upwards of two weeks with internal bleeding and acute kidney failure, the Union-Tribune reports.
Marco Gámez, the director of COEPRIS (a state health agency in Mexico) told the outlet on Sunday that health inspectors since visited Báez's practice on April 23, three months after Weaver's death.
Gámez said that the health inspectors were told there was no record of a Keuana Weaver at Dr. Báez's clinic in Tijuana’s Las Torres towers.
'I know that’s not true because I’ve got the proof that he saw her,' said Renee Weaver, Keuana’s mother, in response to Gámez's claim.
Weaver's mother provided the news outlet with a number of documents to prove her daughter was in fact a patient of Dr. Báez, including a prescription pad with Keuana’s name on it that bore a letterhead from 'Dr. Jesús Manuel Báez López,' a letter stating the clinic would refund the Weaver family the $6,700 deposit for her botched surgery, as well as a notice from the former head of the state health agency that confirmed her body had been transferred from Tijuana to a funeral home in Weaver's native Riverside, California.
She did not even know her daughter was in Mexico at the time of Weaver's death; she thought she had gone to Florida, DailyMail.com reported at the time.
Keuana's mother Renee at a memorial to celebrate her daughter's life
'This year is so personal' Weaver wrote on Facebook just before the fateful surgery. 'Anything that makes me happy I'm doing it!!!!'
Weaver's cause of death was recorded as 'secondary hypoxic encephalopathy,' which refers to damage to the central nervous system by inadequate oxygen and blood supply.
The document was signed by David Ignacio Gutiérrez Inzunza, the director of COEPRIS - a division of the health service that typically would be responsible for investigating medical malpractice or medical offices operating without the correct license.
As the FBI begins it's own investigation in Weaver's death and Báez's practice, Baja California authorities have said they too are looking into the women's cases.
'We're working very hard to make sure that doctors who are practicing without the proper credentials are immediately shut down and are investigated by the Attorney General,' said Atzimba Villegas, the state director of medical tourism.
Arte Siluette, Baez's clinic, is in Las Torres de Tijuana , along the main avenue
'It's essential for the entire industry that patients feel safe and are well cared for and get the results they are looking for.'
However, the FBI may have their hands tied in terms of arresting the doctor, as the agency typically doesn't have the jurisdiction to make such arrests in Mexico.
'On foreign soil, FBI special agents generally do not have authority to make arrests except in certain cases where, with the consent of the host country, Congress has granted the FBI extraterritorial jurisdiction,' according to the FBI's website.
Baez did not respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment. Meanwhile, the FBI's public information officer refused to confirm or deny that the investigation is underway.