Plastic Surgeon In Custody After Death Of Patient: Police

LITTLETON, CO — An Arapahoe County plastic surgeon based in Greenwood Village is facing two felony charges — criminally negligent homicide and first-degree aggravated assault — following the death of a patient in 2019, police officials said. The surgeon, Dr. Geoffrey Kim, 52, turned himself in to authorities on Wednesday.

On August 1, 2019, Emmalyn Nguyen, 18 was undergoing an operation at Colorado Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery, police officials said in a news release. She went into cardiac arrest after being given anesthesia, then fell into a coma and died just over a year later.

A nurse anesthesiologist — Rex Meeker — is also facing a manslaughter charge, police said. A warrant has likewise been issued for his arrest, though he is not yet in custody.

After being booked, Kim posted bond and was released, police said.

"We opened this criminal case in August 2019," said Travis Stewart, captain of investigations. "The investigation has taken more than two years to complete and involved dozens of interviews and search warrants. Our hope is that this will be the beginning of bringing justice and a sense of closure to Emmalyn’s family."