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
Holy civics! NYC schools' own comic books in the spotlight at Comic Con
Comic Con continues through Sunday.
By
Jessica Gould
Published Oct 10, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. ET
What we know about the ICE shooting in NYC
A federal immigration agent shot a Dominican immigrant in the neck in Marble Hill Thursday night.
By
Karen Yi
News
What we know about the ICE shooting in NYC
A federal immigration agent shot a Dominican immigrant in the neck in Marble Hill Thursday night.
By
Karen Yi
DSA to Mamdani: Fire NYPD commissioner if ICE doesn't leave NYC
By
Elizabeth Kim
,
Brigid Bergin
and
Ben Feuerherd
Two people killed in Bronx vehicle crash
By
Kaya Laterman
NY will opt in Trump’s school choice program, Hochul says
By
Jon Campbell
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 .