But that isn't the scariest part. He told Morgan that Young, who was pregnant at the time with their first son, was his close friend and secretary. 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. He was so appalled at the results of the procedures that he faxed a photo of Duntsch to the University of Tennessee to see if the surgeon was an impostor. July 19, 2021 The former neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch was finally brought to justice after injuring and maiming over 30 of his patients during surgery and allegedly causing the deaths of two more. According to ProPublica, Duntsch's residency and fellowship records show less than 100 surgeries. She told D Magazine they named the boys Aiden and Preston. The new true crime show, which comes out Thursday, tells the story of promising-turned-disgraced surgeon, Dr. Christopher Duntsch (played by Jackson), who was accused of maiming and killing his more than two dozed patients. Something was wrong, one lawsuit alleges, whether it be impairment from drugs, alcohol, mental illness, or a combination of all three. His first and only surgery with Minimally Invasive Spine Institute was on a Thursday at Baylor Plano. Maybe thats how they do it in Tennessee, but according to my training, thats not how they do it here. Passmore was allowed to resign and still access his long-term disability insurance, which he says hed paid into for more than 10 years. If he wasnt doing research, he was out with Jerry Summers, partying, Morgan said in the deposition. On Jan. 10, 2014, Denver police arrested him for driving under the influence. Philip is one of more than 30 people maimed by Dr. Christopher Duntsch, nicknamed Dr. Death by the media. Yet they let him resign and passed the bill along for someone else to pay. Texas Doctor Found Guilty of Felony in Medical Malpractice Case In March 2012, Duntsch performed alaminectomy on Kellie Martin to reduce her back pain after afallat home. Former Texas Neurosurgeon 'Dr. Death' Christopher Duntsch Subject Of In 2005, partway through the six-year program,he became the director of the tissue bank. 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. Duntsch pleaded not guilty. In Dallas, Duntsch developed a reputation of frequenting upscale bars and hotels where he partied with his lifelong best friend and personal assistant, Jerry Summers. Duntsch, again, maintains this wasnt true. In October 2011, she registered articles of incorporation to form Duntschs practice, the Texas Neurosurgical Institute. Dr. Death executive producer explains how Christopher Duntsch could I think he built up this idea in his head of who he was and what he was going to do with his life and now all of that has disappeared and wasnt coming back, I think he finds himself in a state where hes struggling to figure out, who am I now? Shughart said in the series. Death: The Undoctored Story, available to stream now. But Duntsch soldiered on. 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. Plus, she was struggling financially. Some hospitals may be reluctant toreport doctors who have allegedly caused bodily harm topatients. Nobody stopped him soon enough. How Old Are Christopher Duntsch Children? Sons Preston and Aiden Age Where is Christopher Duntsch now? Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. A few months after the shoplifting arrest, Duntsch was charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault and injuring an elderly person for the damage he did on the operating table. At The University of Tennessee, his supervisors were also investors in Duntsch's company, Discgenics. I knocked on my door. And there were plenty of other signs as well. But Young said Duntsch wasnt happy at the news of another baby and the couple got into a heated argument, during which Duntsch admitted to seeing other women. Soon though, red flags began to pop up. They went on to have two children. Somebody knocks back and I am like Who in the f---is in my house, Young recalled in the four-part Peacock docuseries, (And if you want to dive even deeper into the story, you can also watch the scripted drama, on Peacock, starring Joshua Jackson, Alec Baldwin, and Christian Slater. Sproles issued a letter to Duntsch that read: There have been no summary or administrative restrictions or suspensions of Dr. Duntschs Medical Staff membership or clinical privileges during the time he has practiced at Baylor Reg. We talked about marriage pretty quickly. In addition, he began to experience random fainting episodes andcomplex regional pain syndrome, a rare nervous system disorder causing skin blistersthat then slough off, as well as chronic pain and skin sensitivity. There was Kellie Martin, who died from massive blood loss after a surgery at Baylor Plano. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News . A string of arrests for DWI, shoplifting, and more followed. Dr. Death might not have cared about being a surgeon, just the prestige that came with it. They would later have two children. She also says they snorted cocaine from a small pile that he kept on a dresser in his home office. The Untold Truth Of Dr. Death - Grunge.com Because of a valuable patent the company owned, they let him through the gates and out into the world. Theres no blank here for that.. He didnt not want to. Britney Spears claims she was 'scared of drunk dad Jamie' & family 'abandoned her to stay in beach house SHE bought', RHOBH's Erika Jayne breaks down in tears & admits she's 'lonely' after friends 'turned on her' when she went 'broke', Kendall Jenner stuns in an all-black gothic look for glam new photoshoot, Russell Brand defends his dog after pooch mauled wallaby to death on walk, Why odd double act Kim Kardashian and Kate Moss are in fact a perfect match, Teen Mom Leah Messer shows stretch marks on tummy after giving birth to three kids & reveals if she'll get a tummy tuck, Duntsch, 50, was convicted of a first-degree felony. He performed his first operation at Dallas Medical Center on July 24, 2012; the hospital issued temporary privileges while it verified his credentials. Duntsch has maimed or killed. Hoyle, the surgeon who exposed the incision in Passmore, had also filed a complaint with the board. Prosecutors argued that the disgraced doctor had used his scalpel and hands as weapons to seriously injure or kill his patients. Duntsch was taken to jail for what Young referred to as a time out but his erratic behavior wouldnt end there. Duntsch did his surgical residency at The University of Tennessee. In the deposition, she states that Duntsch snorted cocaine from a handy pile he kept on a dresser at his home. He gained experience writing grants, and earned more than $3 million in local, state, and federal funding for research projects where he served as principal or co-principal investigator. Where Is Christopher Duntsch AKA Dr. Death Now? He Got A - Bustle Out of his 38 surgeries, only three had no complications. We ended up getting into this really big fight, and he slapped me and threw a remote and hit me with the remotes and he was yelling profanities very loud where everyone could hear and saying prostitute and whore, she said, adding he also started calling her mother names. He wasn't concerned about the drugs in his system while he did his rounds. Hell tell you as much. According to court filings, he was supposed to be overseen by an attending physician in the operating room; this allegedly was not adhered to, either. As the eldest of four, his parents remember him as a precocious boy. He always had a plan, always had a pitch, always had a way to fix you. The real question is:Why couldn't anyone stop him in time? According to ProPublica, Boop was aware of a complaint Duntsch used drugs before seeing patients. Let's delve into what made him tick, and how the medical community failed the victims of Dr. Christopher Daniel Duntsch. And yet nearly all who met him said they liked him immediately. I dont know if hes there to harm me or what his true intentions were, she said in the docuseries. Every patient mentioned in this story who has sued, except for Passmore, has settled. Martin was a 55-year-old woman who had lived with back pain for nearly a year after a fall in her kitchen. He was friendly, and we had good conversation. The original patent still holds, and hopefully, Discgenics would be able to break out of the Dr. Death shadow todo some real anti-cancer work instead. Christopher Duntsch, aka Dr. Death, a former Texas-based neurosurgeon, maimed dozens of his victims and killed at least two. He later told Duntsch to his face that he was dangerous. During the 45-minute surgery, Duntsch cut through one of Martin's arteries. Did these doctors truly not see though Duntsch? 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). But hed make troubling, bizarre pronouncements, like Everybodys doing it wrong. We need to talk about this, Hoyle said, locking eyes with him. Methods for the treatment of degenerative disc disease Patent number: 11168305 A bold pronouncement, yet after just one sloppy, dangerous surgery, Hoyle vowednever to work with Duntsch again. I dont want my name out there. Summers died a few months ago, in February 2021, after getting an infection connected to the botched surgery from Duntsch that left him a quadriplegic. Their trysts were largely confined to his office at Baylor Plano, the same place where, she said in her deposition, he often drank vodka and did research after hours. He was the eldest of four. He will not be eligible for parole until 2045, when he will be 74-years-old. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Quality Policy. This was the time when Dr. Christopher Duntsch started to turn intoDr. Death. and a Ph.D. Young let him buy her an appletini, and they hit it off. Many shake and tremble, some have unimaginable pain.