In the world of beauty and entrepreneurship, Shiryl Saturnino was a rising star. At just 29, the single mother had built a successful life through sheer hard work and determination. From her time as an overseas Filipino worker in Malaysia to opening her own popular microblading business in the Philippines, she was the embodiment of a modern, empowered woman.

But on March 26, 2017, her ambitious journey came to a tragic and abrupt end on the operating table of a cosmetic clinic in Mandaluyong. What followed was not just a story of a medical procedure gone wrong, but a shocking tale of questionable permits, a stunning public relations maneuver, and a legal outcome that left a grieving family searching for justice that would never come.

Shiryl, a former nursing student, had always been driven. After becoming a young single mother, she moved to Malaysia, where she worked for eight years, eventually managing and then owning her own laundromat.

Upon returning to the Philippines, she astutely identified the growing demand in the beauty industry and trained in microblading and permanent tattoos, opening a business that quickly became a success. She was her family’s breadwinner, a devoted mother, and a passionate pole dancer in her free time.

Wanting to further invest in herself, she decided to undergo three cosmetic procedures at The Icon Clinic: breast augmentation, liposuction, and a fat transfer to her buttocks. She was a returning client, having had her breast and nose done at the same clinic, run by the well-known Dr. Samuel Eric Yapjuangco, since 2013. On March 25, 2017, she entered the clinic, full of hope, and was taken into the operating room.

The procedures lasted for hours. According to her cousin, who accompanied her, the surgery finished at 2:40 AM on March 26. But as the medical team, which included Dr. Yapjuangco and anesthesiologist Dr. Jose Jovito Meniola, prepared to move her to the recovery room, they noticed she no longer had a pulse. For forty agonizing minutes, they performed CPR while waiting for an ambulance. But it was too late. Shiryl Saturnino was gone.

Her family was devastated. Her mother, who was woken at 5:00 AM with the horrific news, was in shock, questioning why the clinic never informed her that her daughter was undergoing three major procedures at once.

As the family grieved, public reaction was swift and often cruel, with many online commenters judging Shiryl for her decision to undergo cosmetic surgery. But as the official investigation began, a much more disturbing picture started to emerge.

A special task force, “Task Force Shiryl,” was formed. Investigators from the Mandaluyong Health Office descended on The Icon Clinic and found a host of irregularities. The clinic’s permit to operate was under a different business name, “The Manage Care.” More critically, its permit was only for a “medical clinic,” meaning it was only approved for consultations. It lacked the separate, crucial permit from the Department of Health (DOH) for “ambulatory surgical services,” which was required to perform the types of invasive procedures done on Shiryl.

The autopsy and subsequent histopathology report from the PNP Crime Laboratory revealed the cause of death: a massive fat embolism. This is a known, albeit rare, complication of procedures like liposuction and Brazilian Butt Lifts, where fat accidentally enters the bloodstream.

According to the expert opinion of Dr. Jane Munzon, the fat that was being transferred to Shiryl’s buttocks entered her blood vessels, traveled to her lungs, and then spread to her other internal organs, causing multiple organ failure. For Shiryl’s family and the police, this pointed to a possible lack of skill or care during the procedure, compounded by the fact that the clinic was not properly permitted to perform such surgeries in the first place.

On May 23, 2017, the PNP and Shiryl’s family filed charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide against the two doctors and three nurses involved. They also filed charges of obstruction of justice, alleging that the team had cleaned the operating room with suspicious haste, potentially destroying evidence.

As the case loomed, The Icon Clinic and Dr. Yapjuangco were facing a public relations nightmare. In a move that has since been described as both a brilliant and chilling PR masterstroke, the clinic found a way to change the narrative. In October 2017, they took on Sander Ford (formerly known as internet personality Marlou Arizala) as a client, giving him a highly publicized and dramatic facial makeover.

The transformation was a massive viral success. The public became obsessed with Sander Ford’s new look, and Dr. Yapjuangco was hailed as a miracle worker. The clinic’s business boomed, and the tragic story of Shiryl Saturnino faded from the headlines, overshadowed by the sensationalism of a celebrity makeover.

While Dr. Yapjuangco’s fame soared, the Saturnino family’s fight for justice quietly stalled. Then came the final, shocking blow. In 2018, Mandaluyong prosecutor Perfecto Lawrence dismissed all charges against the doctors and nurses, citing “insufficient evidence” to prove that their negligence directly caused Shiryl’s death from fat embolism.

The injustice was staggering, but it didn’t end there. In a stunning reversal, The Icon Clinic then filed a lawsuit against Shiryl’s grieving mother. They accused her of perjury and obstruction of justice, alleging that she had not been truthful about receiving a refund of PHP 185,000 for the fatal procedures. A family that had lost their daughter was now being sued by the very clinic where she died.

Today, the doctors and nurses involved remain active in the healthcare industry. Dr. Yapjuangco has become one of the most famous and sought-after cosmetic surgeons in the Philippines, his practice thriving. For the Saturnino family, there is no closure, only the painful memory of a daughter and mother lost, and a justice system that they feel failed them at every turn.

Shiryl’s story is a tragic cautionary tale, not just about the risks of cosmetic surgery, but about the power of public relations to bury a tragedy and the heartbreaking reality that sometimes, there is no justice to be found.