A transgender woman has been charged in connection with the death of another transgender woman following a botched off-the-books silicone injection.
Liborio De La Luz Ramos, 44, faces charges for what authorities describe as the accidental death of Katya Delariva, 40. Ramos is accused of injecting silicone in Delariva's buttocks.
Prosecutors say the procedure was done not at a hospital or a doctor's office but inside Ramos' home.
Prosecutors say they want to know how long Ramos has been injecting people with silicone and without a medical license.
This message was seen on Ramos' Facebook page after her arrest Friday:
"You hurt no one feels it, your happiness no one notices. Your sadness no one sees it. But behave badly, commit an error... And everybody criticizes you."
Ramos led a group through the streets of Santa Ana last May demanding separate housing for transgender individuals in custody.
Silicone injections are often used during the transition process to help people feel comfortable in their bodies, Tony Viramontes, who works with transgender men and women at the LGBT Center OC, told NBC4.
Dr. Antonio Cabayo said few surgeons use silicone anymore because of its complications. However, it is accepted in other countries.
"So they come here and say, 'let's have these injection parties' and they're not always using medical grade for the cosmetic procedures," said Cabayo. "Sometimes it's from Home Depot because, in their ignorance, they think silicone is silicone."
Prosecutors said that is one avenue they are pursuing--whether Ramos used silicone from a hardware store like this or whether she had access to another kind. They want to hear from anyone who got an injection.