Kanye West's cousin under investigation in death of the rapper's mother
Stephan Scoggins, a registered nurse, cared for his aunt after she returned home from cosmetic surgery. She died the next day.
More than a year after the death of rapper Kanye West's mother, state officials are investigating her nephew, a registered nurse who oversaw her recuperation after her plastic surgery, according to a person with knowledge of the probe.
Stephan Scoggins, who received his nursing license in 1990 and has an advanced degree in public health, was in charge of caring for Donda West when she returned home Nov. 9, 2007, after a 5 1/2 -hour operation. She had been advised by the staff at the Brentwood-area clinic where she underwent multiple procedures to recover at a postoperative care facility.
Scoggins, 46, who at first denied he knew of any inquiry by the California Board of Registered Nursing, later declined to comment on advice of his attorney.
The investigation by the board responsible for regulating and disciplining the state's registered nurses was first reported by People.com last week. A source familiar with the inquiry confirmed the probe but asked not to be identified because it is still underway.
The probe into Scoggins marks a shift from the days immediately after West's death. The preliminary autopsy by the Los Angeles County coroner's office found the cause "as a result of surgery or anesthesia," leading to considerable scrutiny of her high-profile surgeon, Dr. Jan Adams.
Ultimately, the coroner's final report did not fault Adams. Coroner's officials ruled in January that West, 58, "died from some preexisting coronary artery disease and multiple postoperative factors following surgery," including pain-control medication and the tight bandaging of her chest, which may have limited her breathing.
She was 5 feet 2 and weighed 188 pounds. She had high blood pressure, high blood sugar and cardiac artery blockage. Heart disease also ran in her family. West had been advised against the surgery by another surgeon, who said he would not operate on her because she was at risk for a heart attack.
The day before she died, West had undergone significant liposuction, a partial reduction of her right breast and implants in both breasts; a "belt lipectomy," which excises fat all around the belt area and tightens the surrounding skin, and a tightening of muscles in her abdomen. She then went to her home in Playa del Rey where she had arranged for her nephew to care for her.
