Illinois woman dies after cosmetic procedure in Florida

Lattia Baumeister, 30, pronounced dead at Kendall Regional Medical Center

DORAL, Fla. – An Illinois woman has died after traveling to the Miami area for cosmetic surgery.

Lattia Baumeister, 30, of Rock Island, Illinois, was undergoing a cosmetic procedure Thursday morning at the Seduction Cosmetic Center, 2500 NW 107th Ave., in Doral when she experienced a medical emergency, Miami-Dade police Detective Robin Pinkard said.

Baumeister was taken to Kendall Regional Medical Center, where she died.

An incident report listed Dr. Osak Omulepu, 44, as the physician who operated on Baumeister.

"Dr. Omulepu is absolutely devastated by the complication that occurred in this case," his attorney, Monica Rodriguez, said. "This is the first patient death he has had. Although what happened has been widely documented as a complication of the procedure the patient underwent, it is not a situation any surgeon wants to have."

According to Florida Department of Health records, there was a February 2016 order of emergency restriction of license filed against Omulepu, who was previously affiliated with Encore Plastic Surgery.

Omulepu, formerly of Vanity Cosmetic Surgery and Spectrum-Aesthetics Center for Cosmetic Surgery, was accused of injuring four patients, ages 29 to 35, in 2015.

Omulepu received the Florida Surgeon General order of emergency restriction after he was accused of botching medical procedures in 2015 that resulted in hospitalizations from three days to three months.

Some of his alleged mistakes included not using the correct proportion of anesthesia.

Records show he has had 12 formal complaints made against him. The current status of his medical license is listed as "clear/active."

The Seduction Cosmetic Center was closed Friday morning.

Local 10 News reporter Amy Viteri said there was a violation notice posted on the door, saying that the center is closed because of emergency conditions involving a serious danger to the public's health or safety after a code compliance investigation revealed violations.

Below is a list of each violation inspectors with the city of Doral found at the business:

-Six medical doctors did not possess the city business license.

-Business was performing massage therapy without an active State of Florida massage therapy establishment license.

-Business did not possess an active massage therapy establishment city business license.

-Massage therapists did not possess current city business licenses.

-There were interior alterations within the establishment without the required building permits, including modifications within two operating rooms.

Miami-Dade police are working with Doral police in the death investigation.

Local 10 News reporter Amy Viteri attempted to speak with the cosmetic center's owner, Gretel Jardon, about the death and why she would hire a doctor who had numerous complaints made against him, but she didn't want to talk.

"Oh, so this is a story? So, it's like, this is a story? That somebody died is a story? Wow," Jardon said.  

Local 10 News has covered several deaths at cosmetic surgery centers in South Florida, including in March when Ranika Hall, 25, died after getting a Brazilian butt lift at Eres Plastic Surgery in Hialeah.

Another woman from West Virginia died at the same center in 2016.

It's unclear what type of procedure Baumeister was having.

The trend of out-of-state patients traveling to South Florida for cosmetic procedures is common as many offices advertise low prices and financing plans that attract patients.


About the Authors:

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.

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