A British family is searching for answers after the body of a woman who died during cosmetic surgery in Turkey was returned with large parts of her organs missing. According to ITV NewsKaydell Brown, 38, underwent the procedure at Clinic Expert in Istanbul.
After the initial consultation, the facility recommended that Brown undergo a procedure known as a ‘Mummy MOT’. The procedure includes many cosmetic procedures, such as a tummy tuck, liposuction, and a Brazilian butt lift.
Brown, who spent £5,400 on the procedure and other expenses, went to Istanbul with her sister. He went under the knife on March 26, 2024, but died during the procedure.
“He went into surgery at about 9.30am. and that was the last time I saw her,” Brown’s sister Leanne told the news outlet. “I was in the room waiting for her to come back. I had asked a few times where he was, how long he would be and they kept saying he was coming and then I knocked on the door. Three people came in and said, can you come with us please?’
She added: “They took me into a room and started trying to say, you know, there are complications with surgery, you know things can happen. And I said, “is my sister dead?” And he just said, “I’m sorry, but yes.”
Leanne said the news of her sister’s death left her shocked and it appeared the clinic wanted her to return to the UK quickly. She was also not allowed access to her sister’s body before returning home.
“They just handed me an envelope and said here’s your money back and here’s your sister’s money. And here is your flight. It’s like, sorry he died, here’s your plane ticket,” he said. “When you go in and pay, they’re your best friends, but when something goes wrong, you’re on your own, it’s goodbye.”
Brown’s body was eventually returned to the UK, but significant parts of her brain, lungs and heart were reported to be missing when she was examined at home. ITV News was mentioned.
“When they brought her body back, they kept pieces of her heart and intestines and that could indicate the cause of death, but we may not know because they are not very cooperative,” Leanne said. “They sent a death certificate saying no cause of death, how come they can’t find anything?”
In response to Brown’s death, Clinic Expert told the news outlet that “no evidence of organ trauma was found.” “We handed over the body untouched to the Medical Examiner’s Office (in Turkey),” the clinic added. “It is very likely that parts were removed while trying to determine the cause of death.”
The clinic also responded to a question about a review being conducted after Brown’s death. “An internal investigation found no negligence and Kaydell’s death was likely caused by fat blocking a blood vessel, which can occur during this type of surgery,” the clinic claimed.
“ClinicExpert performs cosmetic procedures for Turkish and international patients [for] 13 years old. He performed a little more than 23,000 cosmetic procedures. Unfortunately we have lost two cosmetic surgery patients in 13 years. Two is a very big number for us and for the patients’ loved ones. But two over 23,000 is a 0.000087 death rate. This rate is much lower than international averages in most developed countries and in the most advanced hospitals.”
Brown, according to the Foreign Office, is among 20 British nationals who have died after cosmetic surgery in Turkey in the past five years. Plastic surgery in Turkey is said to be cheaper compared to UK prices.
UK and Turkish authorities have met to discuss regulations to deal with deaths and health complications faced by patients following surgery in the European country. Meanwhile, parts of Brown’s body tissue have also been re-examined by a pathologist in the UK. These findings paved the way for an investigation to be launched in the UK. However, it has been postponed to 2025.
“Things can’t be hidden anymore and they know what happened now, they’re just gathering that evidence,” Leanne said.
