Mom, 34, Who Died After Cosmetic Procedure in Turkey Wasn’t ‘Fit’ for Surgery, Family Claims

Three years after a 34-year-old mother of two from Northampton, England, died after undergoing a Brazilian butt lift (BBL) in Turkey, her family is claiming she was “not fit for the surgery,” per the BBC.

The outlet reports that during an inquest into Sophie Hunt’s death at the Northampton Coroner’s Court this week, Sophie’s family shared their concerns about the procedure, which, according to reports from BBC and SkyNews, took place at the private Nisantasi Hospital in Istanbul.

Sophie experienced multi-organ failure and died after going into cardiac arrest three times on March 9, 2022, two days after having a BBL and tummy tuck.

Per the BBC, in a statement read to the court this week, Sophie’s mother, Sandra Hunt, shared that after the surgery, Sophie lost consciousness and had swelling in her hands. She added that she believes her daughter “was not fit for the surgery,” citing paperwork from the hospital that reportedly showed “some of her ECG (electrocardiogram) readings indicate an abnormal heartbeat.”

However, the outlet states that a report from Turkey’s Council of Forensic Medicine claimed that “the individual had no known medical illnesses.”

At the inquest, coroner Sophie Lomas said that she “does not have the jurisdiction to fully investigate what happened in that hospital” because the surgery took place out of the country.

“Sophie Hunt died due to complications of a surgical procedure carried out whilst abroad,” she concluded.

PEOPLE reached out to the Northampton Coroner’s Court and Nisantasi Hospital but did not immediately hear back.

Sophie Hunt.

Sophie Hunt/Facebook

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Per BBC, a report provided by Turkey’s Council of Forensic Medicine stated: “The individual had no known medical illnesses.”

It further noted that Sophie had the tummy tuck and liposuction on March 7, 2022, and then experienced “sudden loss of consciousness.” It concluded that she died “as a result of abdominoplasty and liposuction procedures and the complications that developed thereafter.”

Kevin West performed a postmortem exam after Sophie’s body was returned to the U.K. It was concluded that she did, in fact, die from complications of the surgery, but West noted that the “exact cause of cardiopulmonary arrest is unclear.”

Sophie’s sister Aimee Hunt told the BBC, “If she hadn’t had the surgery, she would be alive still.”

She continued, “They still haven’t stated what the complications were. It’s not really an answer. No-one can really tell.”

Aimee added that the family is seeking “more answers” about Sophie’s death.

Of her sister, Aimee told the BBC: “Sophie was outgoing, funny, fun to be around, caring, kind and a brilliant mum.”

In an interview on This Morning in July 2023, Aimee said she and her mom were “worried” about Sophie going abroad for the procedure.

“We all were worried, but I just wanted Sophie to be happy, and she said she really wanted to do it, so I supported her decision,” she shared.

Aimee also recalled getting a phone call from Sophie’s friend, who had gone to Turkey with her and had the same procedure.

“She just said ‘They’ve told me to call you, you need to come out,'” Aimee said. When she arrived to Turkey, she said the doctors wouldn’t let her see Sophie but told her that she had gone into cardiac arrest and was given 90 minutes of CPR. Shortly after, Aimee was told that Sophie has passed away.

However, Aimee said on This Morning that doctors later told her that her sister had died before Aimee even arrived in the country.

“He said that because I had had a long journey, it was better to prepare me,” she recalled.

“I just hope it makes somebody think that, ‘Actually, I can die,'” Aimee urged. “‘Cause you can. My sister’s died. It can go wrong.”