My entire house had been turned upside down.. 'American Greed': Who is 'Dr Death'? How Christopher Duntsch bragged he The attorneys claimed she knew about the drugs and his drug-addled OR trips but did nothing to stop them. Who else is left? That same month, Kirby wrote, he, along with the Glidewell family, brought the case to prosecutors and asked to press charges. To add to this, his so-called Ph.D. at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center may also be dubious. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. It was the invention of me and my wife, because we made all primary experiments. Unlike Summers, Brown, 63, suffered from hypertension and was a stroke risk. Where is Christopher Duntsch AKA Dr. Death now? | The Sun He said somebody had been there and they had hit him on the head, she said. Or, they should be: the scientists names are misspelled. The notorious neurosurgeon was forced to declare bankruptcy shortly after and moved back in with his parents in Colorado. Even the hospitals that he worked for kept enabling him, according to a report by the Dallas County prosecutors. Passmore later discovered that, less than a week after his second surgery, Duntsch had operated on 45-year-old Barry Morguloff. Many shake and tremble, some have unimaginable pain. In 2005, partway through the six-year program,he became the director of the tissue bank. Neurosurgeon residents need to complete 1,000 surgeries as training requirements. He later told Duntsch to his face that he was dangerous. I have lost both companies. He would file for bankruptcy years later, and the filings show that Duntsch has had no managerial role with Discgenics since 2012, when he was removed as a board member and as chief science officer. After five days in the ICU and hours of agonizing rehab, Mayfield requireda cane to walkand was unable to ride in vehicles for long periods. You, my child, are the only one between me and the other side, he wrote. Nobody can recognize whether it was ours or not! Ignatova says. He also needed his legs. Joshua Jackson as Christopher Duntsch in "Dr. Death." (Peacock/Scott McDermott/Peacock) The real Duntsch, a Texas-based surgeon, maimed or killed 33 of 38 surgical patients between 2011 and . Their suffering becomes yours. Lopez answers Henderson's frustrationin a somber tone, sayingthat while you may know a doctor is bad, gathering evidence takes time. On paper, the 40-year-old man who arrived in Dallas in the summer of 2011 was a completely different Christopher Duntsch than the one who was introduced to the public after more than a dozen. The university said, We cant let you see his personnel file. Theres no blank here for that.. I cant write on this form, Oh, by the way, I heard from Dr. Henderson about what sounds like major patient issues that you ought to look into, Foley said in the call. St. Jude refuted this by saying there was no such program there at that time. Christopher Duntsch, now known as "Dr. Death," had his medical license revoked in 2013 (more on that below), per Pro Publica.He subsequently moved back in with his parents in Colorado and was . Thats dangerouseven that attitude is dangerous. Duntsch relented, allowing Hoyle to move in, stop the bleeding, and clean out the wound. I look at my children, I felt like, How am I gonna explain this to them?. Soon, when Duntsch was requesting privileges at Baylor Plano, Robertson sent a letter to the hospital verifying Duntschs training. In real life, after helping the ADA Michelle Shughart send Duntsch to jail, Dr Henderson continues to practice medicine in Texas. It's thrilling if uncomfortable to listen. At the time, Young was giving birth to their second boy. Christopher Duntsch, aka Dr. Death, a former Texas-based neurosurgeon, maimed dozens of his victims and killed at least two. He called Baylor Plano President Jerri Garison, who was clearly familiar with Duntsch and was just as clear about how little she could say on the matter: He no longer has privileges here, and I have to be very careful about what I say to you. Baylor said it was unable to provide its executives for interviews because of Passmores pending lawsuit. Like Summers, Floella Browns vertebral artery was damaged, causing massive bleeding. No autopsy was done (at the familys request) but it is well-documented that the stroke was due to a left vertebral artery injury due to Dr. Duntschs horrendous surgical technique, wrote surgeon Randall Kirby in a letter to the Texas Medical Board. Nurse who worked with Dr. Duntsch recalls his experiences - YouTube Why else would his daughter have sent Duntsch a card thanking him? Vascular surgeon Mark Hoyle, who assisted with the operation, later recalled that Duntsch seemed oblivious to considerable bleeding. Now keep in mind, Morgan herself was at the wrong end of some of these suits. In an article in Texas Observer,author SaulElbein says that one of the doctors he spoke to likened Duntsch to Hannibal Lecter three times in eight minutes. Duntsch allegedly performed the operation and flew out to Las Vegas without securing a call physician. Meanwhile, Brown went brain dead and passed away. The encounter was just one of a series of troubling incidents after Duntschwho once referred to himself as a mixture of God, Einstein and the Antichristlost his medical license in December of 2013 for leaving numerouspatients either maimed, in agonizing chronic pain, or, in two cases, dead. With such goings-on, Duntsch got himself kicked out of his own company. A Witness to Dr. Death: 'In the Presence of a Sociopath' - D Magazine Dr. Death: The Shocking Story of Christopher Duntsch, a - D Magazine The intended 45-minute procedure stretched over an hour before Duntsch finally emerged and told Mayfield's wife the surgery was a success. For years, hed focused on research. In July 2015, he was indicted by a Dallas County grand jury on six counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (his hands and surgical tools). They described him as the bright, precocious little boy who had taken. One such recommendation came from the surgeon under whom Duntsch completed his residency, Dr. Frederick Boop. The door opened and Young found Duntsch, who had earned the moniker Dr. Duntsch was told to take a drug test but disappeared instead. Duntsch contends the patient was just trying to get painkillers. No such thing. She worked with Dr Henderson and Dr Kirby to bring Duntsch to justice, talking to everyone from his life, both from after he became a doctor and from when he was still training to be one. Peacock's new grisly drama tells the real-life story of Dallas-area neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch, who killed or maimed more than 30 patients in the 2010s. Young was 27 when they met; Duntsch was 40. I'm the only clean minimally invasive guy in the whole state." Ellis Unit outside of Huntsville, Texas. The Untold Truth Of Dr. Death - Grunge.com There was Kellie Martin, who died from massive blood loss after a surgery at Baylor Plano. Young puts Morgan there, too, although Morgan denied it in her deposition. When he finally came to the hospital, he busied himself with another patient, also on the DA's list, Mary Efurd. While applying to Baylor Regional Medical Center in Plano, TX, Duntsch also provided Dr. Jon Robertson as a reference. That July, Duntsch was firing off panicked emails to his business partners at 4 am on a Monday morning: My reputation has been ruined, he wrote. You dont get to walk away from two or three years of medical training, in the middle of an internship or a residency, get to take time off and be slotted directly in the position you left in with no questions asked. There are 31 people left alive today, irreparably damaged by Dr. Death's grievous malpractices. Texas Doctor Found Guilty of Felony in Medical Malpractice Case In April 2015, he was arrested for stealing $887.30 in Walmart merchandise: five pairs of sunglasses, five watches, two pairs of shoes, four ties, two briefcases, a wallet, cologne, necklaces, a walkie-talkie. Lee Passmore cant feel his feet. The message alluded to a week where everything unraveled with their relationship. Namely, that hed been up all night snorting eight balls of cocaine (3.5 grams each) with Duntsch. Through his career, reports of him doing rounds under the influence were commonplace. Wendy Young Now: Where is Mother of Christopher Duntsch's Kids Today He promises to take all pain and suffering away. Hes alive. Likely due to Duntsch'sattemptto staunch the blood loss, Brown suffered a buildup of pressure in her brain. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! He kept her on after splitting from Rimlawi and Won. Duntschcrammed a surgical sponge into the wound, then sewed it up. He argues that the patients were just telling stories and that Passmore was fine after his operation. They all signed nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their cases or their monetary awards. Talking to the Dallas Morning News in 2014, Duntsch said he provided the test and was clean. Toby Shook, a Dallas defense attorney, gave a statement toDallas Magazine:"I cannot recall a physician being indicted for aggravated assault for acts committed during surgery. So, I went back to Dallas. Dr. Christopher Duntsch When he moved to Dallas in late 2010, Duntsch was 41 years old, fresh out of a residency program at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center's Department of. Joshua Jackson Previews 'Dr. Death,' Ponders 'Dawson's Creek - Variety Beil's somber reporting on the Wondery podcast titled Dr. Death will send chills down your spine. She, after being in Duntsch's OR, would never walk again. Duntsch says he was so distraught by Browns outcome that he placed a screw in Efurd 3 millimeters away from where it shouldve been, damaging a nerve root. His emails were crazy, Van Wey recalled in the docuseries. His CV proclaims that he earned a doctorate in microbiology from the prestigious St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, graduating summa cum laude. Duntschmade the incision in the wrong place before nicking a vertebral artery, confusing the muscles in Glidewell's neck for a tumor, cutting into his vocal cords, and removing a piece of hisesophagus. Yet, instead of saving lives and using his knowledge for good, the opposite happened. A string of arrests for DWI, shoplifting, and more followed. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Duntsch was taken to jail for what Young referred to as a time out but his erratic behavior wouldnt end there. In reality, he makes everything so, so much worse. According to his lawyer, Duntsch was a scapegoat. But before he left, he happened to see a fax come in to the medical examiners office. At this point, Ive had enough and so I called the police.. The evidence said otherwise. 7 chilling thoughts of jailed neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch Dawsons Creek heartthrob Jackson stars as the titular character of Dr Death, which ended up becoming Duntschs nickname after the accusations came out. Thats when we stumbled across the gap, Passmore says. The disc was pressing on a nerve, which caused the pain. As these cases became public record, rumors circulated of late-night partying leading into early-morning rounds, and whispers of drug and alcohol abuse became shouts. This very friend would later end up a quadriplegic under Duntsch's weapon of a scalpel. A couple of months later, FloellaBrown came to Duntsch for a cervical fusion to alleviate her neck and shoulder pain. In April 2012, just over four months removed from that initial surgery, Passmore returned to work. The Real Story Behind the Dr. Death Podcast - Christopher Duntsch You'd think that a surgeon who was this bad would have some mud spattered on him on the internet. The hospitals didnt do their due diligence until it was too late, and those who couldve spoken up didnt. Hoyle became so disturbed by Duntsch's actions that at one point he physically restrained him. Santa Clarita Diet's Dominic Burgess plays Jerry Summers, a former patient and best friend of Dr Death's. When Duntsch tried to reposition it, he stripped a screw; the cage wasnt going anywhere. Anton Floquet/NBCUniversal, I knocked on my door. The hospital saved face and avoided any lawsuits. Though Christopher Duntsch moved to Dallas with girlfriend Wendy Young, he soon hired nurse practioner Kimberly Morgan as his assistant and began a romantic relationship with her. Meanwhile, his patients kept suffering, and dying, in his OR. When the story about Christopher Duntsch finally broke, it affected his patients, or rather, hisvictims, but many people missed it. But its the only way to get anybody to listen. According to Duntsch's colleagueDr. Randall Kirby, Glidewell's procedure was so botched that"Duntsch was forcibly restrained from continuing the surgery by the [operating room] team.". The 30 Rock alum also heads up the cast of the Peacock series as a doctor, though he plays one of the surgeons working to take Duntsch down. He alleged that Duntsch promised to pay him in stocks and out of his own salary but failed to follow through. It was clear to anyone whos not a complete idiot that they were a thing, he says. Two of his patients, Floella Brown and Kellie Martin, died.. All Duntsch got was a slap on the wrist while his blood-soaked foray into the OR continued. Passmore later learned that a ligament in his leg had been severed. He cant run or swim with his children. He stayed in New York while everyone. And, seeing as how the hospital was asking specifically about that training, Foley said he didnt feel comfortable expressing concern about what hed heard was happening in Dallas. Duntsch calls thisand most other claimsnonsense. He also vibrateshis chest shakes, his right hand jitters. Prosecutors used testimony from patients and the doctors who corrected their surgeries to argue that Duntsch's outcomes were more than mere medical error. We talked about marriage pretty quickly. His right leg is as stiff as his pressed blue jeans, and when he walks, he appears to use his hips to heave it forward. According to an article by WFAA, Christopher Duntsch's father Don stated his son had called him, completely beside himself, when he botched several surgeries. To become a neurosurgeon, one typically has to complete over 1000 surgeries in residency, but somehow, reporter Laura Beil discovered that Duntsch only completed 100. Philip is one of more than 30 people maimed by Dr. Christopher Duntsch, nicknamed Dr. Death by the media. She had brown hair, parted near the middle, that fell just below her shoulders. Despite receiving complaints dating back to 2012, the Texas Medical Board didnt revoke Duntschs privileges until June 2013. I dont want to be on Channel 8, I dont want to be on Inside Edition. This led to another 20 patients suffering. In July 2015, indictments came through. Dr. Death now: Where is Christopher Duntsch now? The arrest report said he was driving on two flat tires. He wanted to find who Duntsch trained under, who his supervisors were. The 31 people who survived Dr. Duntsch's scalpel face a struggle for the rest of their lives. There were multiple screw holes nowhere near where they were supposed to be, and a screw had been lodged in another nerve root near the bottom of the spine. Christopher Duntsch has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. I cried when they said life imprisonment, Young said of the verdict. She suffered a massive posterior circulation stroke and was transferred to UT Southwestern Medical Center. Christopher Duntsch's medical license was suspended by the State Board after heavy lobbying from his former colleagues and wounded patients on June 26, 2013. For Duntsch, the path into medicine was unconventional and, perhaps, a reflection of his tendency to fixate on unlikely goals. Plus, she was struggling financially. He went back to the sourcethe University of Tennessee Health Science Center. I am beginning to think the police are the only ones intellectually and physically capable of getting to the bottom of this matter, he wrote. He thought about how all that might have been stolen from him in a matter of hours. Hes jailed on a $600,000 bond, and his trial is set for January 31, 2017. It was something that made us all nervous, but we never had any proof, Boop said in the phone call. But thats all. Most of the time, she said, their relationship was confined to his office. Dr. Death: Season 1 - TV Reviews - Rotten Tomatoes The 78-year-old Denton County man was then Dr. Christopher Duntsch's first patient when the surgeon started performing spinal fusions in 2011. Governor Greg Abbott, then the attorney general, even waded into the whole mess, filing a brief in Passmores suit in support of the law. But what Duntsch hadnt counted on was the Dallas County District Attorneys Office. After Summers procedure, Morgan says Duntsch was not allowed to operate at Baylor Plano until March 2012. The nerve root had been amputated. Finally, it was the Texas Medical Board (TMB) that acted too late, too little. He wrote grants and secured more than $3 million in funding. According to Irving-based physician recruitment firm Merritt Hawkins, a single neurosurgeon produced his or her hospital an average revenue of $2.45 million in 2015. Around this time, Drs. Passmore is still fighting. And scary as it may seem, it's only when we listen to podcasts like these, do we realize the reality of medical horror stories. Who Is Christopher Duntsch, The Man Nicknamed 'Dr. Death' Who Injured She also says they snorted cocaine from a small pile that he kept on a dresser in his home office. He kept a handle of Stoli under his desk and said it was because he used to work with Russians. Martin was his first patient back, and it was the last operation he performed at that hospital. Everything On His Family And Wikipedia Bio After they all partied through the night, powered by LSD and cocaine, she said she saw Duntsch put on his lab coat to make rounds the next morning. Plano's Baylor hospital faces hard questions after claims against Im the only clean minimally invasive guy in the whole state. Thats according to Dr. Mark Hoyle, who was the general surgeon during Passmores surgery. Or was Duntsch just good at hiding his true self? Christopher Daniel Duntsch was born in Montana on April 3, 1971, and raised alongside his three siblings in an affluent suburb of Memphis, Tennessee. Today, Duntsch is serving a life imprisonment term in a Texas prison, and he's now the subject of an NBC Peacock netstreaming series featuring some big-name, A . But the same law also helps these very hospitals in keeping doctor credentials confidential. He wrote, "You will not find a harder working or more willing individual." There were two names on the top page: Kellie Martin and Christopher Duntsch. But Duntsch kept going, as if he were fishing in a pond at night, saying he was working by feel, not sight. This way, no one recognizes them as the inventors. Like, he wasnt scared. To be a good doctor, you have to be a good human being. Dubbed "Dr. Death," the case gained national attention, revealing how easy. Year: 2004-2018 Starring: Michael Peterson Genre: Docuseries Rating: TV-MA Seasons: 1 (14 episodes) Director: Jean-Xavier de Lestrade Trailer: Watch here This doesn . Saul Elbein writes in the Texas Observer that Dr. Hendersonsent him a recording of his complaint to the Texas Medical Board. In her deposition, Morgan said Baylor Plano President Jerri Garison called both of them to her office and told them what Summers had said. You, my child, are the only one between me and the other side, he wrote. Duntschs patient outcomes would draw lots of attention over the years. They met as Duntsch was looking for opportunities in an operating room somewhere. It was hearsay, he contended. 53, and Andre Agassi, 52, are proud parents as they . What made this well-recommended neurosurgeon harm his patients and himself? Like Boop, Dr. Robertson also gave Duntsch a great review. He was later sentenced to 120 days in jail for the attempted theft, according to court documents obtained by Oxygen.com. The very first complaint should have triggered an investigation. The shocking story of a madman with a scalpel. Finally, in July 2015, the Dallas County District Attorneys Office followed through. When his patient woke up in the recovery room unable to move his extremities, Duntsch failed to perform a CAT scan or MRI. Duntsch has a court date next month for the shoplifting case along with the unrelated matter of a criminal trespass complaint filed against him last fall. Unlike Baldwin, Slater takes on a more brash and quirky doctor role as Dr Kirby, though both work side by side to help reveal the truth about Duntsch's botched surgeries. But that isn't the scariest part. His father, Donald, was a physical therapist and Christian missionary, and his mother, Susan, was a schoolteacher. He was the oldest of fourhe has two brothers, Nathan and Matt, and a sister, Lizand attended a private high school. So the hospitals he worked for knew of his carelessness and sociopathic behavior in the OR. While the show features the exes as the parents to one son, they had two kids together in real life. Due to his actions, Brown suffered a stroke that night, but Duntsch didn't responded to hospital pages. She was a stay-at-home mom to their two children, Preston and Aiden; her income was tied to Duntschs. Duntsch has maimed or killed. Hoyle, the surgeon who exposed the incision in Passmore, had also filed a complaint with the board. Multiple lawsuits allege that Baylor did not report Duntsch to the National Practitioner Data Bank, which was created by Congress to be a private clearinghouse of physicians who have been suspended or had their privileges revoked. He met Duntsch that day in the physician lounge at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano, where the operation occurred. (And if you want to dive even deeper into the story, you can also watch the scripted drama "Dr. Death" on Peacock, starring Joshua Jackson, Alec Baldwin, and Christian Slater.). According to ProPublica, Duntsch's residency and fellowship records show less than 100 surgeries. 'Dr. Death' Peacock series: Who is Christopher Duntsch? Memphis ties Who Is The Real Dr. Death, Christopher Duntsch? - NickiSwift.com Dr. Death might not have cared about being a surgeon, just the prestige that came with it. Strangely enough, Dr. Boop also mentioned, "I have not operated with Chris." But the unexpected reunion wasnt a happy one. He didnt not want to. Young let him buy her an appletini, and they hit it off. During this time, out of three procedures, one patient died and another was partially paralyzed. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. Doctor convicted of botched surgery gets life sentence - USA TODAY 'Dr. Death' tells true story about killer surgeon 33 of his 37 surgeries were botched, with two dead and 31 injured for life. Mayfield also developed syringomyeliain 2014 - fluid-filled cysts that emerged within his spinal cord, which compressednerves to cause more pain and damage to the sensitive area. Surprisingly, his superiors at The University of Tennessee also gave him glowing reviews. According to an arrest report obtained by the outlet, he had been driving on two flat fires and had two empty bottles of Mikes Hard Lemonade in the vehicle. Duntsch's resume shows a doctorate in microbiology from the St. Jude Children'sResearch Hospital. She needed drug tests. Duntsch in Dallas In 2010, he relocated to Dallas with his girlfriend Wendy Renee Young. Based on Wondery's viral podcast of the same name, Stan's Dr. Death follows the sinister true story of former American neurosurgeon Dr. Christopher Duntsch, who became known as 'Dr. Death' after he left a trail of maimed patients across various hospitals in Texas. Duntsch declined a jailhouse interview, but he has called the allegations preposterous. And yet they occurred in Duntschs operating rooms over a period of just two years. Jurors convicted Duntsch Tuesday of injury to an elderly person in the botched July 2012 surgery that put Mary Efurd in a wheelchair. Sort of. It was pouring out of the epidural blood vessels and pooling in the disc space. He struggles with incontinence. Unfortunately, it became the patients' burden to bear. How Old Are Christopher Duntsch Children? Sons Preston and Aiden Age Christopher Duntsch Early Life Story, Family Background and Education. It is during this period that Duntschs carefully built faade began showing its first cracks. The eight-part series tells the harrowing true story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch who, across two years, injured 32 of his 38 patients. She told D Magazine they named the boys Aiden and Preston. The Texas DA chose six patients to make their case to the jury: Lee Passmore, Barry Morguloff, Jerry Summers, Kellie Martin, Floella Brown, and Mary Efurd. But she smiles softly as she talks about those early days with Duntsch, when they were still learning about each others lives.