Shatarka Nuby received her first injection from Oneal Ron Morris in 2007. She would return approximately nine more times before her death. The official cause: respiratory failure from "massive systemic silicone migration." The substance Morris had injected into her buttocks and hips had spread through her body. Nuby was 31 years old.

Morris was not a doctor. She was not a nurse. She had no medical license of any kind, and she had already been convicted once for practicing medicine without a license before Nuby ever walked through her door.

What Was Actually in the Syringe

Morris offered buttocks and hip enhancement procedures at prices far below market rate, typically charging between $1,000 and $1,500 when licensed plastic surgeons charged up to $5,000. What she injected bore no resemblance to any approved medical substance. According to court records and arrest documents, the formula included cement, Fix-a-Flat tire sealant, bathroom caulking compound, Super Glue, and mineral oil.

After each injection, Morris would place a cotton ball over the wound and seal it to the skin using Super Glue. One victim told detectives she could not remove the cotton ball herself. Nuby's aunt, who was present for all of her niece's procedures, confirmed the same method was used every time.

What Morris Was Doing to Her Own Body

Investigators discovered that Morris had been injecting the same substances into herself. Her body showed the results of repeated self-administered procedures using the same cement, caulk, and sealant mixture she used on her patients. The physical transformation was visible and severe, which made her easier to identify when authorities were building their case.

The Victims Left Behind

Three women were named in the charges against Morris: Lournise Linton, Ophelia Parker, and Tiffany Kennedy. All three had met Morris at a Motel 6, where she arrived wearing a nurse's uniform, gloves, and a photo ID badge around her neck.

Rajee Narinesingh, who received injections to her face, was still undergoing corrective procedures years after her encounter with Morris. Before surgery became available to her, she said she was too embarrassed to leave her home. At one point she had been publicly referred to as "cement face."

Dr. John J. Martin, a licensed cosmetic surgeon who treated multiple victims of unlicensed procedures, told the Miami New Times that he sees at least a few patients each week who have been injected with dangerous substances by unlicensed operators. Industrial-grade silicone, he noted, can harden to a cement-like consistency inside the body over time.

The Sentence

Morris was convicted of manslaughter and practicing medicine without a license. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison. It was not her first conviction for the same underlying offense. She had previously served one year in Miami-Dade County for practicing without a license, a sentence that did nothing to stop the procedures that ultimately killed Shatarka Nuby.