Woman dies days after buttocks implant surgery by fake doctor

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A man is charged with murder after police say he performed illegal implant surgery on a woman who died as a result.

Roderick and Anna Gordon said they still have few answers for why their daughter sought out the surgery or how she wound up trusting a person who had no medical training.

"She was a model in the Virgin Islands for years. She won a lot of competitions," Roderick Gordon said.

Karima Gordon's parents said their daughter did not need cosmetic surgery, but last spring, she traveled from DeKalb County to Jackson, Miss. to receive buttocks implants.

Within hours of the surgery, Karima Gordon became ill. She made it back to metro Atlanta, but died days later at Southern Regional Hospital.

The family is now relieved to hear that Mississippi authorities made an arrest on Tuesday.

Morris Garner is charged with depraved-heart murder. Investigators said Garner posed as a doctor and used fake silicone.

In his court appearance on Wednesday, Garner dressed as a woman and said he goes by the name Tracey Lynn Garner. He was denied bond.

"I was very relieved to hear that, because I just want some sort of justice," Roderick Gordon said.

Mississippi authorities said they're worried there could be more victims.

"I'm just hoping he didn't harm somebody else and the same thing happened to someone else's family. From what I understand, he was doing this for a while," Roderick Gordon said.

If convicted of depraved-heart murder, Garner could face a life sentence.

WSBTV