The family and community of a 26-year-old New Orleans police officer and U.S. Army reservist are mourning her untimely death following complications from cosmetic surgery earlier this year.
Wildelis Rosa, a dedicated officer and recent Army reservist who had just returned from deployment in Kuwait, died on March 23 after undergoing a Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) procedure in Miami, according to reports from NBC6 and The Mirror.
The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office determined Rosa’s cause of death was a pulmonary embolism caused by blood clots following the surgery.
Rosa reportedly traveled to Florida on March 18 and underwent pre-operative lab work at Prestige Plastic Surgery Clinic the following day. She paid $7,495 for the procedure, which involved transferring fat from 12 areas of her body to her buttocks. She did not inform her family of the surgery until March 22—her birthday—when she texted her sister, Anamin Vazquez, about the operation.
“We had just that feeling in our guts like something is wrong,” Vazquez said. She texted Rosa that evening but received no response.
Rosa collapsed in the bathroom on March 23 and was later found unresponsive by a friend who had traveled with her. CPR attempts were unsuccessful.
Vazquez revealed that Rosa complained of extreme pain the day after surgery and was discharged from the clinic just one hour after the operation—a detail that has raised concerns about patient safety and post-op care in the booming cosmetic surgery industry.
“She said… she was having complications,” Vazquez told NBC6. “My sister had a very bright and promising future. She wanted to work for the FBI.”
Rosa, the youngest of five siblings, had told her family she was traveling to Miami to celebrate her birthday—not to undergo surgery. Vazquez now hopes her sister’s tragic story will serve as a warning.
“I want her death to be a cautionary tale for those who are thinking of having these surgeries,” she said.
The New Orleans Police Department released a statement in March honoring Rosa’s service.
“The New Orleans Police Department is heartbroken by the sudden passing of Officer Wildelis Rosa, a cherished member of our NOPD family,” the department wrote. “Officer Rosa served with integrity, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to the people of New Orleans.”
A former teacher of Rosa’s also remembered her as “one of the sweetest, kindest, intelligent, caring, and compassionate people I have ever known,” according to The Mirror.
The Prestige Surgery Clinic and the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office have not issued public statements in response to media inquiries.
