Adriana Manotas Rodriguez, a 52-year-old Colombian content creator, died last week after being evacuated from an aesthetics center in Bogotá that was operating without a license. Manotas, who had amassed more than 23,000 followers on Facebook and mainly posted lifestyle content, was transferred to a Red Cross medical center in the city, where she died despite efforts by medical staff to save her life. The circumstances surrounding the case are being investigated by prosecutors and police, and the official cause of death has not yet been released.
According to Noticias Caracol, part of the Colombian television network Caracol Televisión’s news operation, Manotas entered the facility at around 6 a.m. At around 10 a.m., several people were seen removing her from the building and transferring her to a vehicle, from which she was taken for medical treatment.
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Adriana Manotas Rodriguez, a 52-year-old Colombian content creator, who died last week after being evacuated from an aesthetics center in Bogotá
(Photo: Facebook)
There are conflicting reports regarding the procedure she underwent and when it took place. Sources in the prosecution told Noticias Caracol that Manotas had been at the location to undergo liposuction. According to information provided by her partner to authorities, she began feeling unwell after the procedure was completed. The same sources said one of the main theories being examined is possible poisoning from medication, but stressed that this remains only a hypothesis and not a determination regarding the cause of death.
However, in an official statement from the Bogotá municipality, officials said Manotas suffered severe complications after arriving at the site for post-operative care. Bogotá Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán said that according to the preliminary information available to him, she had undergone surgery three days earlier and arrived from the aesthetics center in critical condition. Authorities have not yet clarified how the two accounts align or whether liposuction was performed that morning or whether Manotas arrived for treatment following a procedure carried out several days earlier.
The center where she was treated operated in the Muzú neighborhood in the Puente Aranda district. The building’s exterior had no signs, visible identification or information indicating that medical services were being provided there. A review of official databases showed that the facility was not registered as an authorized healthcare provider and that the woman listed as its legal representative was not licensed to work in the healthcare field.
The business was registered as a hair salon and was authorized to provide only specific beauty services
(Photo: Shutterstock)
According to Noticias Caracol, the business was registered as a hair salon and was authorized to provide only specific beauty services. Under Colombia’s Health and Government Secretariat, hair salons and beauty centers may offer non-invasive treatments related to personal grooming, but the facility was not authorized to perform surgical or invasive medical procedures.
Restrictions imposed, operations continued
Following Manotas’ death, the attorney general’s office and police raided the facility with the participation of officials from Colombia’s Health Secretariat. During the search, authorities found surgical materials and biological waste, which they said indicated that invasive procedures had been carried out at the location without meeting legal requirements. Following the inspection, the Health Secretariat ordered the facility to be fully and temporarily closed and seized about 108 items, including medical equipment, medical supplies and pharmaceutical products.
The investigation found that the facility was already known to authorities. In November last year, two sanitary safety restrictions were imposed on the site, one against the business and another against the doctor who provided services there, after inspectors found that they did not meet licensing requirements for providing healthcare services. According to the Health Secretariat, the restrictions were mandatory, were intended to prevent risks to public health and remained in effect at the time of Manotas’ death. Despite this, operations continued and the restrictions were violated.
Friends described Manotas as a hardworking, kind woman who was always willing to help others.
Friends described Manotas as a hardworking, kind woman who was always willing to help others
(Photo: Facebook)
Authorities said they would continue working with prosecutors and police to clarify the circumstances of the death and determine responsibility in the case. Among the issues being examined are who was involved in Manotas’ treatment, what procedures were performed at the site and how medical activity continued despite previous enforcement measures.
The case has renewed concerns over aesthetic centers operating without meeting licensing requirements. According to data from Bogotá’s municipality, from the beginning of 2025 through July 5, 2026, authorities carried out 1,296 inspections at locations where beauty and aesthetic services are performed, alongside 590 targeted enforcement operations. The actions resulted in 155 sanitary safety measures being imposed due to regulatory violations.
The mayor called on residents to report suspicious facilities and stressed that surgical procedures should not be performed at locations that have not received approval from health authorities. He said the city had increased oversight efforts but also needed public assistance in identifying centers operating illegally.
Following Manotas’ death, friends, family members and followers posted tributes on her Facebook page. Her friends described her as hardworking, close to those around her, kind and always willing to help others. One friend wrote that Manotas had left an “indelible mark” on the people she met throughout her life.