An NYPD detective and devoted mother of three has tragically passed away in Colombia, just a week after undergoing a Brazilian Bu*t Lift (BBL) and liposuction.
Detective Alicia Stone, 40, was discovered unresponsive in her hotel room in Cali and pronounced deceased shortly after at Fundación Valle del Lili Hospital. Her husband, Michael Stone, is now seeking answers and an official investigation into her unexpected passing.
Highlights
- NYPD detective Alicia Stone passed away a week after undergoing a cosmetic procedure in Colombia.
- Her grieving husband is demanding answers after her sudden and shocking passing.
- The tragedy has reignited discussions about the risks of getting cosmetic surgery done abroad.
Detective Stone’s family has been left heartbroken after her sudden passing in Colombia
Image credits: Unsplash/Mate Jonyer
Detective Stone, a 13-year veteran of the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau, had traveled to Colombia for a liposuction and gluteal fat transfer procedure on October 16.
According to law enforcement sources, she was taking anticoagulants and pain medication during her recovery and had been staying in a hotel following her surgery.
A week later, she was found unresponsive around 6:30 a.m. and pronounced deceased just over an hour later. Her cause of passing was listed as “unspecified cardiac arrest,” according to the New York Post.
Image credits: Fund The First
She leaves behind a husband and three children.
“The doctor who called me from Colombia just called me and told me my wife had just passed away,” he said. “She didn’t have any information to tell me when I was asking her… Something just doesn’t add up.”
Image credits: El Tiempo/Juan Pablo Rueda
He added, “To be called Thursday and told that she passed away, that is just shocking and hurtful. I don’t have the facts, and that’s what I need, the facts of what happened.”
Michael described his wife as being “perfectly fine” prior to her cosmetic procedure. He also stated that she had spoken to relatives the day before her passing and told them she was feeling alright.
Detective Stone's passing was received with sympathy online. “Fat embolism is rare but not impossible, especially given the nature of the procedure.
Image credits: Unsplash/César Badilla
"I feel for her now motherless children,” one commenter wrote.
Another added, “Worked with a woman who went to Colombia to get the same procedure done. We begged her not to go. She left work on a Thursday to fly down there. We never saw her again.”
A fundraiser has been started to help Detective Stone’s family following her passing
Image credits: Facebook
In the wake of the tragedy, friends and colleagues launched a fundraiser to support Detective Stone's family. The page described her as “a devoted wife, loving mother of three, and a dedicated public servant who spent her career protecting and serving others.”
“Alicia’s kindness, courage, and compassion touched everyone she met, both in and out of uniform,” the message read. “Her unexpected passing has left a tremendous void in the lives of her family, friends, and fellow officers.”
The NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau, together with U.S. consular officials, has reportedly contacted Colombian authorities and the U.S. State Department to coordinate a full investigation into the tragedy.
Image credits: Unsplash/César Badilla
An NYPD detective has also been sent to Colombia to assist in reviewing the circumstances surrounding her passing, according to Michael.
One commenter reflected on the emotional toll such tragedies take on families, writing, “It’s sad that some people are unhappy with their own natural body that they would risk their health. Cosmetic surgery should only be legal for burns, cleft lips, and things that are life-altering.”
The potential dangers of cosmetic surgery tourism are becoming more notable
Image credits: Getty Images
Detective Stone’s story is part of a growing trend known as “medical tourism,” where patients travel abroad for more affordable medical procedures.
Brazilian Bu*t Lifts, which have one of the highest mortality rates of any cosmetic procedure in the industry, are particularly risky.
A BBL involves transferring fat from one area of the body to the buttocks to achieve a fuller shape. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, rare but life-threatening complications can occur when fat enters the bloodstream and causes a fat embolism.
Image credits: Fund The First
A 2017 report from the Aesthetic Surgery Journal estimated that the mortality rate for BBL patients was 1 in 3,348 at the time—notably higher than that of other cosmetic surgeries in the U.S., which were at 1 in 55,000 then, according to The Hindustan Times.
Fortunately, the situation has improved since then. According to the National Library of Medicine, the mortality rate for BBL procedures improved to 1 in 14,952 just two years later, in 2019.
One reader shared a sobering take on the tragedy: “Her d**th is sad and tragic, but that’s the price one pays for vanity. Vanity nowadays can be very deadly.” Another echoed a similar concern, commenting, “Why do people feel the need for unnecessary surgery?”
Netizens shared their thoughts about Detective Stone’s passing on social media
