• Logout
  • Member Center

Suspects in ‘toxic tush’ case plead not guilty in court

 

Two fake doctors accused in the ‘toxic tush’ case appeared before a Miami-Dade County judge Monday.

jbrown@MiamiHerald.com

Two people accused of injecting a toxic mixture of “Fix-a-Flat” and Superglue to enhance women’s tushes were arraigned Monday on charges of practicing medicine without a license.

Oneal Ron Morris and Corey Alexander Eubank pleaded not guilty in Miami-Dade Circuit Court on the charges, which are second-degree felonies. Both suspects have been released after posting bonds.

Morris, 30, a transgender woman who goes by the name “Duchess,” was arrested in November, accused of duping a Miami Gardens woman into paying for six injections of a near-lethal formula of chemicals administered through a tube hooked to a cooler, according to police and state investigators.

Other victims came forward afterward. A second woman told police she, too, had had the same procedure with Morris. Eubank, who coordinated the meetings between the victims and Morris, got a cut of the $700 to $900 fee.

Both victims suffered serious illness and needed long-term treatment following the procedures. They eventually recovered, but had to endure home healthcare for months.

The first 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.

Miami Gardens police finally caught up with the elusive “Duchess,’’ whose own backside is the size of a 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 when Morris was arrested in November.

Oneal conducted the procedure in early May 2010, but 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.

The 30-year-old victim paid $700 for a series of injections between May 3 and May 7, 2010. She told authorities that Morris had her lay flat on her stomach on a table that was set up in a townhouse at 1114 NW 206th Ter., a residential neighborhood in Miami Gardens.

She was able to see some of the “tools,’’ which she described as rubber tubing attached to what appeared to be a cooler. She felt enormous pressure, and then pain, as Morris began inserting the tubing into her buttocks.

“It hurt to the point that she was screaming,’’ Dillon said. Morris “kept reassuring her that it was almost over.’’

The victim stopped Morris before the injections were finished because she was in such agony, Dillon said. Morris sealed her wounds with Super Glue and she went home, Dillon said.

Twenty-four hours later, she was still in pain and began suffering flu-like symptoms.

She first went to Jackson North Medical Center in North Miami-Dade. The doctors looked her over, but were somewhat perplexed by her symptoms. She was afraid to tell them what she had done and left before they finished her exam. She then drove to North Shore Medical Center, where doctors also were mystified.

She again left before being treated and returned home. She unsuccessfully tried to reach Morris for several days.

Almost two weeks later, the victim’s mother saw a news report of a similar victim being treated at a hospital in Tampa.

With her daughter still sick, she drove her to Tampa General Hospital, where doctors treated her for what they believed was a staph infection. She finally told them what she had done, and Tampa doctors called the state health department. Police said tests showed that she had been injected with toxic chemicals.

The second victim paid $900 for what she believed was a silicone injection, according to police.

Morris allegedly assured her: “This is my profession. Don’t worry.’’

After sealing up her incision with Super Glue, Morris allegedly told her to soak with Epsom salts. Like the other victim, she went home and immediately fell ill. She went to the hospital where she underwent surgery to remove cysts and a lymph node. She received two blood transfusions and needed a nurse to help care for her for several months.

Police said that not only was Morris not a doctor, but she has a long arrest record for using phony identification, writing bad checks and theft across South Florida.

dealsaver
The Miami Herald: Subscribe now!

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

We have introduced a new commenting system called Disqus for our articles. This allows readers the option of signing in using their Facebook, Twitter, Disqus or existing MiamiHerald.com username and password.

Having problems? Read more about the commenting system on MiamiHerald.com.

Hide Comments

This affects comments on all stories.

Cancel OK
0 comments

  • Videos

  • Quick Job Search

Enter Keyword(s) Enter City Select a State Select a Category