Philadelphia police suspect a London woman who died after a botched buttocks enhancement may have been killed when a fumbled injection filled her lung with silicone and caused a fatal embolism.
Authorities were seeking to question a local singer who may have injected Claudia Aderotimi, 20, who died after the illegal procedure at a Hampton Inn near the Philadelphia International Airport earlier this week.
"If the medical examiner rules the cause of death was the injection, then there is a chance for a murder charge," said Lt. John Walker, police spokesman, on Saturday.
Authorities were seeking to question Padge Victoria Windslowe, a self-described Goth hip hop singer know as "Black Madam" from Ardmore, Pennsylvania, in the death.
No criminal charges have been filed. Authorities were awaiting toxicology reports from the Delaware County medical examiner's office, which could take up to eight weeks.
Aderotimi and a friend flew to Philadelphia to receive silicone injections in the hotel. They made a similar trip in November, 2010 without complications.
The illegal procedure was completed at about 1:30 p.m. local time on Monday in the hotel, and about three hours later Aderotimi was rushed to a hospital where she died at 1:32 a.m. on Tuesday.
"She started coughing and having shortness of breath," said Walker. "What we believe happened is that the injector nicked a vein and put the substance into the bloodstream. It goes through your vascular system and lands in the lung and since it's a gel, it will pile up like a rock.
"If that's truly what happened, it's a murder charge. That (a murder charge) is what we expect will happen," he said.
According to the federal Food and Drug Administration, it is illegal to inject silicone into the buttocks, Walker said. Fat transfers and implants by a licensed professional are allowed, but silicone is not, he said.
The women used the Internet for information on cosmetic enhancement for curvier bottoms - Aderotimi for her buttocks and her friend for her hips.
They were referred to Windslowe by an online contact, a woman from Saddle River, New Jersey who had been undergoing the procedure since 2008.
They all met at the Hampton Inn, and the New Jersey woman, who also got injected, is cooperating with police, he said. It was not clear yet whether she would be charged, he said.
A search warrant was served on Windslowe's apartment and among the items sought was "super glue," which is typically used at the injection site in some cosmetic procedures.
"After the injection, the port is super glued together so the liquid won't leak out. A simple Band-Aid won't work because of the force you need to inject the liquid," Walker said.
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