Woman gave ‘vampire facials,’ posed as nurse, police say
A Las Vegas woman is charged with posing as a nurse and performing a beautification procedure known as a “vampire facial” on women in Southern Nevada, police said.
Las Vegas police said they arrested Maria Sabata Gutierrez, 49, on Nov. 18. She was arrested after a woman showed up at St. Rose Dominican Hospital, San Martin campus on Sept. 22 with “swelling and pain on her face and head, and bumps in her mouth,” police said in an arrest report for Gutierrez.
The woman told police she’d received a vampire facial from a person she knew as Maria.
“Gutierrez was initially recommended (to the customer) by a friend who knew Gutierrez as hosting Vampire Facial parties,” police said. “Gutierrez would drive to (a person’s house) to conduct the Vampire Facials every other week since April/March of 2020. (The customer) described the facials as Gutierrez drawing blood from (the customer’s) arm. The blood would then be placed into a machine which separated the blood, it would then be re-injected onto her face.”
Police investigators said they were told that vampire facials from a licensed medical facility usually cost about $1,000, but Gutierrez charged only $200. The purpose of the plasma reinjections is to activate collagen cells.
“In addition to the Vampire Facials, (the customer) was also getting a similar procedure with her blood being reinjected in her buttocks,” police said. “This procedure has (been) happening weekly and cost $100.”
Gutierrez, police said, always wore medical scrubs. She would bring a backpack containing supplies and a blood centrifuge machine when treating customers. Gutierrez told a witness that she used to work for a medical office and conducted the procedures regularly but that she had lost her license and was in the process of getting it back, police said.
The St. Rose physician who treated the customer said only a licensed nurse under the supervision of a physician would be allowed to perform a vampire facial. The doctor, when treating the patient, had the woman call Gutierrez, who told the doctor she was trained as a nurse and obtained the equipment online from Mexico. Gutierrez told the doctor she was “operating out of her trunk,” police said.
The doctor ordered the woman to stop performing the procedures and notified law enforcement.
Undercover detectives in November then contacted Gutierrez and set up a meeting.
“Gutierrez explained to (undercover officers) the process of drawing of blood, processing and then reinjecting,” police said.
Detectives asked Gutierrez about her equipment.
“Gutierrez told (detectives) that she gets most of her medical supplies and pharmaceutical drugs from Sonora, Mexico,” police said.
Police said Gutierrez gave police a box of the antibiotic Clamoxin and the drug Tramadol. The undercover detectives said they told Gutierrez they would return the next day to receive a vampire facial in exchange for $212.
The next day, police carried out a search warrant on the home and arrested Gutierrez.
“Gutierrez admitted to detectives that she conducts Vampire Facials for a monetary compensation for $100 and above,” police said. “She also disclosed selling medications she purchases from Mexico to patients. She is currently unemployed and does these medical procedures on the side.”
Gutierrez admitted she isn’t a registered nurse. She said she’s been performing vampire facials for “only a year and has done these procedures on approximately 50-60 patients,” police said.
In the arrest report, officers identified Gutierrez as Maria DeJesus Gutierrez. She was booked at the Clark County Detention Center under the name Maria Sabata Gutierrez.
Las Vegas Justice Court records show that she is charged with furnishing a dangerous drug without a prescription, acting as a medical practitioner without a license, possession to sell drugs and acting as a nurse without a license. A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for March.
Court records indicate that Gutierrez retained attorney Dean Kajioka, who could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.
