A New York woman has been arrested in connection with the mysterious death of a Connecticut mother who was brought to a Bronx hospital unconscious and partially undressed more than four years ago, following what investigators now say was an illegal cosmetic procedure.
Alicia Leslie, 47, of Mount Vernon, is accused of performing unauthorized silicone injections that caused the death of 53-year-old Maxine Messam, a mother from Bridgeport, Connecticut, in February 2022.
The case initially baffled investigators after two women arrived at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx with Messam, who was unresponsive and had multiple injection marks on her buttocks.
The women claimed they had discovered Messam in distress near a cemetery and were simply trying to help her. But investigators now believe the circumstances surrounding her death were far more troubling.
After more than four years of investigation, Leslie was arrested on October 16 and charged with criminally negligent homicide and unauthorized practice of a profession.
According to prosecutors, Leslie, who also goes by the name Toya, was not licensed to practice medicine or perform cosmetic surgery.
Nevertheless, she allegedly administered silicone injections intended to enhance Messam’s buttocks, setting off a medical emergency that ultimately claimed her life.
The tragedy unfolded during the early morning hours of February 15, 2022.
Shortly before 2 a.m., two women reportedly drove Messam to Jacobi Medical Center in her own vehicle. When they arrived, they removed her from the car, placed her on a hospital stretcher and brought her inside for emergency treatment.
Hospital workers quickly realized something was seriously wrong.
Messam was unconscious, unresponsive and undressed from the waist down. Medical personnel also noticed several apparent injection sites on her buttocks.
Despite efforts to save her, Messam was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The women who brought her there reportedly told employees that they had found her near Woodlawn Cemetery, not far from the hospital, before leaving the scene.
Their explanation immediately raised questions about what had happened to the Connecticut mother before she arrived.
Investigators eventually focused on the possibility that Messam had undergone an unauthorized cosmetic enhancement procedure somewhere in Westchester County.
According to the criminal complaint, Leslie allegedly injected Messam with a silicone substance for cosmetic augmentation.
Law enforcement sources also reported that investigators uncovered text messages between Leslie and Messam arranging to meet in Yonkers on the day of the fatal procedure.
Those messages allegedly helped authorities connect the two women and reconstruct the events leading up to Messam’s hospitalization.
Prosecutors contend that Leslie’s actions caused Messam’s death, resulting in the criminally negligent homicide charge.
The allegations mark a significant development in a case that had remained unresolved since 2022.
For Messam’s family and friends, her death was especially difficult because of the unusual circumstances surrounding her arrival at the hospital.
Loved ones previously described her as a devoted wife, mother and hardworking state employee who brought warmth and happiness to the people around her.
One friend remembered Messam as someone who could light up a room, making the circumstances of her death even more devastating.
Now, years later, prosecutors are attempting to hold someone criminally responsible.
Leslie appeared in Bronx Criminal Court following her arrest and pleaded not guilty.
She was released under court supervision while the case proceeds and is scheduled to return to court on November 4.
Her attorney, Kyle Watters, has denied the allegations on her behalf and expressed confidence that she will ultimately be cleared.
The second woman reportedly involved in transporting Messam to the hospital has not been publicly charged.
The case has also renewed concerns about the dangers of illegal cosmetic procedures, particularly silicone injections performed by unlicensed individuals.
Although cosmetic enhancements have become increasingly popular across the United States, the Food and Drug Administration has repeatedly warned that injectable silicone is not approved for enlarging the buttocks or other body-contouring procedures.
Unlike approved cosmetic treatments performed by qualified medical professionals, unauthorized silicone injections can introduce serious and potentially life-threatening complications.
If silicone enters the bloodstream, it can travel to the lungs or other organs and obstruct blood vessels, potentially causing respiratory distress, strokes or fatal complications.
