A woman has been charged in connection with the death of a Bridgeport mother whose body was dropped off at a Bronx hospital after what investigators believe may have been a botched cosmetic procedure.
The NYPD says 47-year-old Alicia Leslie, of Mount Vernon, was arrested Oct. 16 and charged with criminally negligent homicide and unauthorized practice of a profession in the death of 53-year-old Maxine Messam, of Bridgeport.
Messam's death shocked friends and family, who described her as a devoted wife, mother and hardworking state employee.
Police previously said two women claiming to be Good Samaritans brought Messam to Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx around 1:30 a.m. on Feb. 15, 2022, saying they found her near a cemetery asking for help.
Investigators said Messam was partially unclothed and had multiple injection marks on her buttocks, leading detectives to investigate whether she was the victim of a botched cosmetic procedure.
Messam was later identified by police, and her family was notified.
Friends who spoke with News 12 following her death remembered Messam as someone who "lit the room with her presence" and said they were heartbroken by the circumstances surrounding her death.
The NYPD has not released additional details about Leslie's alleged role in the case.