Las Vegas woman dies after cosmetic surgery

LAS VEGAS – With her smooth skin and wavy, honeyed hair, Elena Caro was celebrated as a beauty by her husband and teenage daughter, who often told her that she didn’t need cosmetic surgery.

But at 42, Caro wanted firmer skin and a younger figure, so she secretly booked an appointment with a medical office recommended by a close friend.

The quest for perfection might have ended her life, police said.

Caro was found walking the streets of Las Vegas in agony Saturday after buttocks enhancement surgery that authorities say was performed by two Colombian nationals in the back room of a tile business.

She was pronounced dead minutes later at North Vista Hospital. Her cause of death was not immediately determined, pending toxicology tests and an investigation.

Ruben Dario Matallana-Galvas, 55, and Carmen Olfidia Torres-Sanchez, 47, were arrested hours after the surgery for investigation of murder.

The husband and wife were being held without bail at Clark County jail pending a court appearance today.

Las Vegas homicide chief Lt. Lew Roberts said backroom clinics can be found across Las Vegas. But he said there hadn’t been any deaths involving unlicensed physicians in at least six years.

“The tragic thing about this case is that this isn’t an isolated incident of somebody going to an unlicensed alleged medical facility,” he said.