Death of Gulf Breeze doctor’s wife following after-hours surgery leads to investigation

The death of a Gulf Breeze plastic surgeon’s wife is under investigation by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.

According to Hillary Brown’s family, she went into cardiac arrest on Nov. 21, while her husband, Dr. Ben Brown, was performing several procedures on her in his Gulf Breeze office after hours.

Hillary Brown’s family said she was taken off life support a week later because she had gone without oxygen to her brain for too long and her organs were donated.

Hillary Brown, 33, is the mother of three young children by a previous marriage. She and Ben Brown, 40, married about two years ago and live in the Tiger Point area of Gulf Breeze.

Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Jillian Durkin released the following statement regarding Hillary Brown’s death:

“The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office in conjunction with the District One Medical Examiner's office is conducting a Death investigation regarding the Death of Hillary Brown. In accordance with our policies and procedures, SRSO investigators frequently conduct death investigations when the death was unexpected or the death occurs under unusual circumstances. The cause and manner of death is pending the receipt of the autopsy protocol from the District One medical examiners office. The autopsy protocol typically takes several months as it usually is dependent on extensive laboratory and toxicology tests as well as the information gathered by our Major Crimes detectives concerning the circumstances of the death.”

This is a developing story and we will have much more on the incident and the investigation.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Dr. Ben Brown: Death of Gulf Breeze plastic surgeon wife investigated