After three months of investigation, Hanoi police have proposed that the local prosecutor’s office should prosecute the owner of Cat Tuong Beauty Salon on two charges for dumping the body of a woman who died post-surgery into the Hong (Red) River.

The capital’s police said they have completed their investigation of the case in which Dr. Nguyen Manh Tuong, the owner of Cat Tuong Beauty Salon, and Dao Quang Khanh, the salon’s security guard, dumped the body of Le Thi Thanh Huyen into the river in October 2013. The woman died, at 39, in the salon after she underwent a botched cosmetic surgery. As Huyen’s body remains unfound, police have put an end to their investigation and proposed that Tuong be convicted for two charges, namely “Breaching regulations on medical examination and treatment, drug production, preparations, supply and sale or other medical services,” and “interfering with human corpses, graves, and/or remains.” Meanwhile, Khanh, 18, who aided Tuong in dumping the woman’s body into the river and stole an iPhone 5 from the victim, is charged with “interfering with human corpses, graves, and/or remains,” and “stealing property.” In their conclusion of investigation, police said they have enough evidence to conclude that Tuong directly caused Huyen’s death.    Tuong, 41, who had worked for Hanoi-based Bach Mai Hospital, may be sentenced to up to 22 years for his two charges while Khanh is facing 8 years in jail, the police said. As previously reported, Huyen, of Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem, came to Cat Tuong Beauty Salon, at 45 Giai Phong Street in Hai Ba Trung District, on the morning of October 19 to undergo  abdominal liposuction and breast lift surgery. After being anesthetized by three nurses, she underwent aesthetic operations performed by Dr. Tuong from 12 pm until 4 pm. Thirty minutes after the surgery, Huyen had difficulty breathing and started foaming at the mouth. Dr. Tuong gave her an injection and she appeared to recover. But at 5:45 pm, Tuyen’s body suddenly turned blue and her blood pressure could not be measured. Tuong put her on a respirator and gave her a cardiotonic but could not save her. Under Tuong’s instructions, Khanh, a security guard at his salon, left Huyen's scooter on Co Linh Street, far away from his salon. Later, the two men put Huyen’s body into Tuong’s car and drove to Buu Dien (Post) Hospital in Hanoi’s Hai Ba Trung District. As there were many people waiting at the entrance to the hospital, Tuong decided to take the body to Thanh Tri Bridge and throw it into the Hong River. After investigation, police arrested Tuong and Khanh on October 22.Body remains unfound Based on Tuong’s testimonies to investigators, Huyen’s family and concerned agencies have spent a lot of time and effort in searching for the body. They have even resorted to the help of psychics, but they have yet to find the body. After the case was uncovered, Tuong’s family gave Huyen’s relatives VND150 million (US$7,000) as initial compensation. Several days after Huyen’s death, Colonel Duong Van Giap, head of the Hanoi Social Crime Investigation Police Department, told Tuoi Tre that Dr. Tuong had not filed an application to the Hanoi Health Department for a license to offer cosmetic surgeries to customers. Therefore, cosmetic surgery services such as the abdominal liposuction and breast lift surgery performed on the victim are illegal, Giap said.