Chicago, United State – Sucretta Tolliver A mother of four from Chicago died after cosmetic surgery in the Dominican Republic earlier this month, prompting her family to push for a full investigation into how the death occurred.
Sucretta Tolliver is being remembered by loved ones as a devoted mother, former nurse, and successful businesswoman who ran a popular boutique in the Brighton Park neighborhood.
“Life is precious and you don’t know it until it’s stolen and I feel that way as her daughter and speaking on behalf of my family, we’ve been robbed,” said Tolliver’s daughter, Mariah Price.
Price said her mother traveled to the Dominican Republic for a cosmetic procedure that was performed on December 12. She died two days later in a recovery home.
“I called her on the phone that night, the night before she passed, and she sounded like she was in a lot of pain,” Price said.
“She was like ‘I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. It hurts so bad.'” Tolliver’s daughter said she felt completely helpless, thousands of miles from her mother and unable to care for her.
Now, the family, including Price’s uncle, William Tolliver, is fighting to get more answers about what went wrong. “Her official death certificate says internal bleeding,” he said. “They did their report in the Dominican Republic, but when we get back home, we’ll do our own reports and then we’ll resolve it.”
The Tolliver family is asking authorities, including the FBI and the State Department, to investigate their loved one’s death and the doctor who performed the procedure. “I’ll stand strong for justice for my sister,” William Tolliver said.
Numerous attempts were made by our sister station NBC 5 Chicago to reach the doctor by phone, email, and social media, but they were not responded to at the time of publication.
Family members said they have hired an attorney and are now working with the US Embassy in the Dominican Republic to help repatriate the beloved mother’s body home.
“The only way I feel like I can have some kind of fight against what happened to her is for it not to happen to anyone else,” William Tolliver said.
