This story was originally reported by NBC 7's sister station, Telemundo 20. To read the article in Spanish, click here.
After performing the autopsy of a woman who died after a cesarean section in a clinic in Mexicali, the medical examiner classified the death as undetermined after they discovered the body was delivered with no organs.
According to César Raúl González Vaca, head of the Forensic Doctor's Service (SEMEFO), on Feb. 1 they received the woman’s body, named Keren, that came from Clinic 30. By order of the Public Prosecutor's Office, the medical-legal autopsy was performed.
"The cause of death was undetermined," said Gonzalez Vaca, who said the external examination showed the incisions "compatible with a surgical procedure."
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The head of SEMEFO explained that when they checked the body, they discovered that there were no organs to analyze. The skull, abdomen and chest were completely empty.
"The indeterminate cause of SEMEFO occurs when there are no elements to conclude a cause of death," he said, adding that without organs the cause of death cannot be determined.
Gónzalez Vaca also said that this had never happened before and explained that even if the deceased was an organ donor, it had never happened that every organ was missing, and they would always be accompanied by a note from the medical unit that would explain that condition.
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Regarding possible confusion, Gónzalez Vaca assured that he was unaware of any problem with the arrival of the body and confirmed that the body that was received in the SEMEFO of Mexicali corresponds to the body of a mother identified only by him as Keren.
For its part, the Mexican Institute of Social Security issued a statement in which they pointed out that it is legal for the IMSS to perform clinical autopsies to establish the cause of death.
"The Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) did not commit any illegality when carrying out the extraction of the organs during the clinical autopsy carried out on the patient Keren N. He specified that a day after the procedure began it was learned that the family had filed a complaint, which involved delivering the body to the Forensic Medical Service (SEMEFO), instance to which it was informed of it." In addition, according to Dr. Iza Guadalupe Alonso, the IMMS is about to conclude the clinical autopsy no later than two weeks to determine the cause of death.
