The never-ending search for beauty ended tragically for a Bronx mother who died of complications from a series of plastic surgeries she got in the Dominican Republic, police sources said Saturday.
Janelle Edwards, 25, was found unconscious in her car on Bellamy Loop near Co-op City Blvd. in Co-op City at 8:10 p.m. Thursday, sources said.
Her parents found her slumped behind the wheel and called police.
Edwards died 30 minutes later at Montefiore Medical Center’s Albert Einstein Hospital — where she once worked, according to a Facebook post, sources said.
“We found her in the car unresponsive,” her grieving mother Marjorie Edwards, 57, told the Daily News. “We don’t know what happened.”
An initial autopsy on Saturday was inconclusive as more tests were ordered, but a doctor told detectives that Edwards died of a blood clot caused her recent surgeries, police sources said.
Edward’s older sister Samantha Edwards believes the operations — breast enhancement, a tummy tuck and butt implants — which were performed in Santo Domingo, killed her sibling, although she doesn’t think her family has any legal recourse.
“She was a very loving person,” Edwards said. “That's how I want to remember my sister. She lived her life and God took her early.”
Family members told detectives that Edwards complained of stomach and breast pain since she returned from her 1,500-mile trip.
Yet she apparently wouldn’t slow down — and showed no signs of distress on the day she died.
“Busy, busy, busy,” she posted on Facebook Thursday, roughly three hours before she died. “I must sleep good tonight.”
Edwards leaves behind two daughters — the oldest 7 years old, the youngest just 1 — family members said.
Marjorie Edwards refused to talk about her daughter's surgeries and asked a reporter to leave when the issue was brought up.
“I can only say kind words about her,” she said. “That's all anyone can say about her.”
Neighbors said Edwards returned home about a month ago.
“She was all wrapped in bandages and had an IV on a stand. She was in a lot of pain,” said Elia Mayo, 50, a Bronx cleaning woman who lives next door to Edwards.
“It's such a shock,” Mayo said. “She was a nice girl. She had such good manners.”
In June, 2016, Edwards posted a photo of herself on Facebook in burgundy scrubs, sporting a Montefiore Hospital employee ID.
Citing privacy rules, a spokeswoman for Montefiore would not confirm that Edwards was a hospital employee.
Edwards’ death comes as more and more doctors are warning people about the dangers of getting plastic surgeries abroad.
“I know the cheaper cost is tempting, but consider the risks,” Dr. Susan Downey explained in a video posted on the American Society of Plastic Surgeons website. “If any problems come up, you may have additional costs and no legal protection.”
“Cosmetic surgery is real surgery and requires consultation, planning and follow up care best with a board certified surgeon,” she said.
Taking long flights after surgery can also increase a patient’s risk of developing a pulmonary embolism and blood clots, the ASPS notes, encouraging patients to wait up to seven days after surgery to fly.
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