A 44-year-old man was behind bars Friday on suspicion of administering silicone to a transgender woman who later died, according to Santa Ana police.
Liborio De La Luz Ramos, who was arrested Thursday and booked on suspicion of voluntary manslaughter, was being held on $500,000 bail.
The victim — identified as 40-year-old Katya Delariva — was pronounced dead at 7:06 p.m. on Jan. 21, according to Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna.
Ramos allegedly met with Delariva privately to administer the shots, and investigators suspect he has done so with many others, Bertagna said. Ramos is not legally authorized to administer the shots, the corporal said.
Initially, police thought the victim had attended a “silicone party” at a Santa Ana residence in December, Bertagna said. The parties are an emerging problem in the community, he noted.
On New Year’s Day, Delariva checked into an area hospital and, three weeks later, died of silicone embolism syndrome, Bertagna said. Hospital officials called the Orange County Sheriff’s-Coroner’s Office, which notified Santa Ana police, he said.
Police asked Orange County District Attorney’s Office to research the issue from a legal standpoint, Bertagna said.
The injections at the parties can cost $400 to $1,000, depending on how many people show up for a shot, Bertagna said. That is considerably cheaper than going through legitimate sources, which may or may not administer the silicone depending on a patient’s health, Bertagna said.
Investigators asked anyone with information on the case to call detectives at (714) 245-8390.
— City News Service