A cosmetic operation at the hands of a fake doctor in an apartment cost a South Florida woman her life, investigators say.

Vera Lawrence (pictured, left), 52, received an injection of silicone or collagen that got into her bloodstream and killed her, Miramar police say. Lawrence was undergoing the procedure to enlarge her buttocks.

Police say that Lawrence was with a friend Thursday when a bogus doctor gave her an injection in a third-floor apartment at the Enclave apartment complex on Renaissance Boulevard. Police say that Lawrence began to have trouble breathing and went to the hospital, where she later died.

"She was a very personal, quiet, kind, loving and giving individual. I can tell you that we, the family, are shocked by her sudden passing," said Sandy Sears (pictured, right), Lawrence's sister. "(We have been told that) some young man had given her an injection and that was the probable cause of death. So we are hopeful we'll find more details and the individual will be found."

Police say that the woman who accompanied Lawrence to the apartment has been cooperating. They also say that they think they know who is responsible for the botched surgery and where to find him.