Downey woman dies after traveling to Mexico for liposuction

DOWNEY -- A 51-year-old Downey woman died Nov. 11 after traveling to Tijuana to undergo a liposuction procedure. 

Irma Saenz died at Chula Vista Medical Center, the L.A. Times reported. She had been in a coma at a Tijuana hospital before an ambulance brought her across the border. 

Saenz reportedly had the procedure done at Embellecete Aesthetic Surgery Group under the supervision of Dr. Guillermo Diaz Vergara. He is not a licensed plastic surgeon, who are the only physicians authorized to perform liposuction, the Times reported. 

According to family members, Saenz found the clinic in a Facebook group. Through an intermediary, she paid a deposit, scheduled an appointment and arranged for an Uber to drive her from Downey to Tijuana on Oct. 27. 

She slipped into a coma that same day and was transferred to Hospital Arcangeles, a Tijuana hospital with an intensive care center. She was transported to Chula Vista on Oct. 30. 

Results of an autopsy by the San Diego Medical Examiner’s Office are pending. Friends and family have created a GoFundMe page to pay for funeral expenses.