Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Amateur Plastic Surgery Kills Bronx Mom
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 3, 2009
Modified Apr 3, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 3, 2009
Modified Apr 3, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
After a prolonged autopsy, a Bronx medical examiner has concluded that the death of a 43-year-old mother of two was a homicide, the result of botched plastic surgery. On March 17th, Siordaliza Pichardo checked herself a Bronx hospital, complaining of dizziness and difficulty breathing; she later went into cardiac arrest and expired during the night. One day earlier, Pichardo had received silicone injections from a friend of hers who, according to investigators, is a "nonmedical, unlicensed person." After extensive tests, the ME determined the cause of death to be "silicone pulmonary embolism," and found that Pichardo had silicone clotting in her lungs. Her 21-year-old son Kelvin Rodriguez tells Newsday that his mother had gotten the silicon injections because she wanted to add shape to her thighs and buttocks; he says he was "strongly opposed that my mom was doing this because she didn't need it."
Tagged
botched
bronx
plastic surgery
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NYPD hate crime unit investigates smashed windows, ‘Pal Action’ graffiti at UES Capital One
The bank previously faced protests over a $90 million loan to an Israeli drone company.
By
Ryan Kost
Published Oct 20, 2026 at 8:35 a.m. ET
A reliably Republican part of NJ, until ICE came to town
The Trump administration’s plan to convert a warehouse in Roxbury into an ICE detention center has upended local politics ahead of the midterm elections.
By
Mike Hayes
News
A reliably Republican part of NJ, until ICE came to town
The Trump administration’s plan to convert a warehouse in Roxbury into an ICE detention center has upended local politics ahead of the midterm elections.
By
Mike Hayes
NYC school integration debate exposes tensions between Black parents and Mamdani
By
Elizabeth Kim
Queens man charged with hate crime at Jewish-owned bagel shop displaying Israeli flags
By
Giulia Heyward
MTA train yards are in such bad shape plants are growing out of the roof, watchdog says
By
Stephen Nessen
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .