Dallas Woman Goes To Mexico For Plastic Surgery, Returns To U.S. On Life Support

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A Dallas real estate agent is on life support with brain damage after she traveled to a clinic in Mexico last month for several plastic surgery procedures including a nose job and breast implant replacement. Before Laura Avila's procedures actually began, there were major complications.

CBS News correspondent Anna Werner spoke to a prosecutor in Mexico who is now handling an investigation into the Rino Center where Laura was treated. No formal charges have been filed yet, but the clinic has been raided.

Enrique Cruz said he was at the Rino Center in Ciudad Juarez last month, when his healthy fiancée Laura went in for plastic surgery. Eight hours later, doctors said there was a problem.


"The only thing that they told me was that they had to take her to the hospital because that, the anesthesia wasn't wearing off and they did not know why," Cruz said.

Laura's sister Angie Avila said doctors at the Mexican hospital where her sister was transferred, told them the Rino Center put the anesthesia in the wrong place in Laura's spine, her brain swelled, her kidneys failed and she went into cardiac arrest.

"I just said to myself, 'This isn't happening. This can't happen,'" Angie said. "Because of the brain damage she suffered, she'll never be our Laura again."

Laura's fiance said he researched the clinic and found positive reviews online. Angie said they have family in Mexico and growing up often crossed the border to visit from El Paso.

"It sounds crazy to say, 'Oh they went to another country,' but to us, you know, it's home. It's familiar," Angie said.