This was no ordinary flat repair.
Oneal Ron Morris took a look and went to work.
Not on a tire. But on the backside of a Miami Gardens woman who was seeking the derriere of her dreams.
Instead, she got a tush full of toxins.
Morris, a self-proclaimed doctor, injected a concoction of “fix-a-flat’’ — cement, mineral oil and Super Glue — into the woman’s buttocks, police said.
The materials eventually spread through her body and nearly killed her.
The woman, whose name is not being released because of medical privacy laws, went to three different hospitals before doctors finally figured out the cause of the mystery ailment that caused pneumonia-like symptoms and left large, infected welts on her backside.
On Friday, Miami Gardens police finally caught up with the elusive “doctor,’’ a transgender woman whose own butt is the size of a truck tire. Investigators suspect she is part of an underground network of scam artists who have been offering “pumping parties” and home buttocks augmentations across South Florida for years.
In some cases, the end result has been deadly.
Vera Lawrence of Carol City died in March 2001 after too much silicone was injected in her buttocks during a “pumping party” at a Miramar home. The hosts of the party were not licensed physicians, and eventually were charged with Lawrence’s death.
The Miami Gardens woman is recovering.
“In a world where body image is in the forefront of our media, this woman, for whatever reason, thought that this was the answer and she almost lost her life,’’ Miami Gardens Detective Michael Dillon said.
that this was the answer and she almost lost her life,’’ Miami Gardens Detective Michael Dillon said.
The victim was recommended to Morris by what Dillon called “a friend of a friend.’’ Oneal conducted the procedure in early May 2010.
It took more than a year for investigators from the Florida Department of Health to put the case together, in part because the woman was too embarrassed to come forward, Dillon said.
The woman is still undergoing home health treatments, and remains in poor health, Dillon said. He believes Morris has other victims who also may be too ashamed to go to authorities.
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