Long Beach Police Department arrested a 45-year-old massage therapist, Thursday, in connection with the death of a customer at her beauty salon.
Sandra Gonzalez was accused of performing cosmetic procedures including 'vampire face-lifts,' 'lip and butt augmentation' without license. According to the authorities, she rented a room at Areli's Barber Shop & Salon to provide the cosmetic surgeries and massages.
Customer Hamilet Suarez, 36, was getting cosmetic injections Wednesday at Areli's and shortly after suffered a cardiac arrest. Paramedics reached the spot and performed CPR . She was rushed to a hospital where she was declared brought dead.
Police officers found Suarez suffered the cardiac arrest under "suspicious circumstances."
"Inside the treatment room, detectives found medical equipment and multiple vials of controlled substances which were used for medical procedures," police said in a statement, reports The Los Angeles Times.
Authorities took Gonzalez into custody on a $10,000 bail Thursday night, on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance, reports the Associated Press. Homicide detectives with help from the California Medical Board and the Los Angeles County coroner's office were investigating the matter, police said in a statement.
However, they did not mention the kind of procedure Suarez underwent or what triggered her death. "Until the report comes back from the coroner, we can't determine if it was the procedure or if any drugs possibly administered caused her death," police Sgt. Megan Zabel told the Long Beach Press-Telegram.
The police officials said Gonzalez conducted the cosmetic procedures at the salon for about a month and might have previously practiced at other locations too. They requested people with any information regarding Gonzalez and the procedures to call Det. Scott Lasch or Det. Donald Goodman at (562) 570-7244.
