A Florida surgeon has been charged in connection with his wife’s death after she went into cardiac arrest during surgery and he hesitated to call 911, according to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s office.
Benjamin Brown, 41, was arrested on Monday for homicide and negligent manslaughter, as stated in a news release from the sheriff’s office.
On November 21, 2023, deputies responded to an emergency at the Restore Plastic Surgery clinic in Gulf Breeze. Benjamin Brown was performing multiple procedures on his wife, Hillary Brown, who became unresponsive and had a seizure during the operation.
Hillary was taken to the hospital and placed on life support, but she died a week later.
“After a thorough investigation with the District One Medical Examiner’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office, our detectives obtained a warrant for Dr. Benjamin Brown’s arrest,” the sheriff’s office said.
In May, the Florida Department of Health requested to restrict Benjamin Brown’s medical license. They reported that on November 21, 2023, Brown was performing scar revision, arm liposuction, lip injections, and ear adjustments on Hillary. She had prepared her own IV bags and taken a “handful of multi-colored pills,” including Valium, before the procedures.