A 41-year-old plastic surgeon in Florida has been arrested following the death of his wife, who experienced cardiac arrest on his operating table in November of last year. The doctor, named Benjamin Brown, was taken into custody on Monday and charged with one count of second-degree felony homicide for alleged manslaughter by culpable negligence in the death of his wife Hillary Ellington Brown. According to The Independent, he turned himself into the police after a warrant for his arrest was issued on Friday.
In a press note, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office stated that deputies responded to the 41-year-old’s practice, Restore Plastic Surgery, in Florida, for a medical emergency on November 21. Upon arrival, first responders found a female victim—later identified as Hillary Brown—suffering from cardiac arrest. She was transported to a hospital, placed on life support, and later pronounced dead. An autopsy is pending.
“The autopsy protocol typically takes several months as it usually is dependent on extensive laboratory and toxicology tests as well as the information gathered by our Major Crimes detectives concerning the circumstances of the death,” the police department said in a statement.
According to The Independent, on the day Hillary went into cardiac arrest, she was scheduled to undergo miniature muscle plication/abdominal scar revision, bilateral arm liposuction, lip injections, and ear adjustment procedures. She reportedly prepared her own anaesthesia before the surgeries. She also ingested a handful of multicoloured pills, including Valium.
The plastic surgeon began to panic and asked his assistants for supplies, including an oxygen tank and stethoscope
Shortly before the procedures, she began experiencing symptoms related to sedation. When she entered the operating room, her husband administered additional anesthesia without verifying what she had taken. He did not record her medication and dosage. At one point, she informed him that her vision was becoming blurry and she saw “orange.” She experienced restlessness, muscle twitching, and blurred vision, common symptoms of toxicity.
The 41-year-old continued injecting drugs into her face, after which she became unresponsive and started to seize. A medical assistant asked the doctor if they should call emergency services, and he said “No.” Over the next 20 minutes, the assistant asked again, and he replied “no” or “wait,” the outlet reported.
The plastic surgeon began to panic and asked his assistants for supplies, including an oxygen tank and stethoscope. However, the medical assistant, being new, struggled to find the items. Instead of calling an ambulance, Brown allegedly “shouted” at the staff, asking, “What medication did she take?” About 10 to 20 minutes after Hillary Brown suffered a seizure, Brown instructed an assistant to call 911, but his wife never regained consciousness.
The medical board determined that Brown’s treatment of his wife was “careless and haphazard.” In May, Florida’s Department of Health issued an emergency order restricting the doctor’s medical license to only perform procedures or surgeries in a licensed hospital under the supervision of a licensed physician. The department is pursuing disciplinary action in the case. Ben Brown, however, has chosen to challenge the allegations against him, and the case will be heard by the Division for Administrative Hearings.