The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Arias died from fat embolisms in both lungs resulting from the surgeries and classified her death as an accident. The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office confirmed its Homicide Bureau has an open investigation.

Arias’s sister, Erika, said their family was told hours after the surgery that Arias was having trouble breathing. She said Julio “J.C.” Clavijo Alvarez, the surgeon she understood was scheduled to perform the procedure, later told her, “We did everything that we could,” and apologized. Arias was taken to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital, where her family said they learned she had died.

The family said Arias arrived in Miami on Aug. 12 and went into surgery early the next morning. Her mother, Monica, had urged her not to have the operation, worried that her granddaughter could lose her mother if something went wrong.

A review of civil lawsuits and state and county records found that Arias was at least the sixth patient to die following surgery at New Life Plastic Surgery since 2018. Two prior deaths were the subject of court cases in which the clinic denied responsibility, arguing in part that the doctors involved were independent contractors, not clinic employees.

Alvarez was also the surgeon for Naimy Sucetz, a 41-year-old woman who died after liposuction and a tummy tuck at New Life. The medical examiner said Sucetz died from a blood clot in her lungs. In 2022, Alvarez said she had not reported pain that would have indicated a blood clot.

The clinic and its attorneys had not responded to questions by publication. Alvarez also had not responded to requests for comment sent through his attorney and by email.

Arias’s family said it is seeking answers and wants changes that could help protect future patients. They described her as a devoted mother and said they have created a fundraiser to support Jenella’s needs.