But upon seeing that name, he took it to his boss, Dr. William Rohr. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. I thought is this somebody that youve pissed off? They all signed nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their cases or their monetary awards. The fault also lies with the Texas law. Duntsch landed in jail on a $600,000 bond and waited for the trial to begin. Unfortunately, it became the patients' burden to bear. He has taken Baylor Plano to court to change the Texas law requiring patients to prove that a hospital intended to harm them when it granted privileges to someone who was unsafe. His investors took him to court. Philip Mayfield experienced back pain and chronic conditions related to his longtime career driving tractor-trailers. She had family in Dallas and decided shed go with him if he chose that city. Before he cheated, before he lied. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News . Today, Duntsch is serving a life imprisonment term in a Texas prison, and he's now the subject of an NBC Peacock netstreaming series featuring some big-name, A . Also present, according to Kane, was Jerry Summers, the childhood friend who would later wake up a quadriplegic after a Duntsch operation. Passmore later learned that a ligament in his leg had been severed. In April 2012, just over four months removed from that initial surgery, Passmore returned to work. Lawsuits can cost hospitals millions of dollars and lost credibility, making it easier just tofire the offending doctor. Dallas, Texas 75201. He argues that the patients were just telling stories and that Passmore was fine after his operation. Why else would his daughter have sent Duntsch a card thanking him? One of the early investors in Duntsch's company Discgenics was Dr. Rand Page. The full story of Duntsch's actions can be read in Matt Goodman's D Magazine feature from 2016, when the magazine first coined him "Dr. Death.". Jackson stars as Christopher Duntsch, the titular nicknamed neurosurgeon, in Peacock's limited series based on the Wondery podcast of the same name (and of course the real-life former doctor's. On Jan. 10, 2014, Denver police arrested him for driving under the influence. Most of the time, she said, their relationship was confined to his office. During Brown's surgery, Duntsch pierced her vertebral artery. The deal required Duntsch to gain privileges at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano. It was a downward spiral pretty rapidly after he lost his license, Young said in the docuseries. She didnt think much of it at first. He says he showed the postoperative imaging to 16 radiologists over six months, all of whom said Morguloff was normal. St. Jude says there was no such program at the hospital at that time. Ellis Unit outside of Huntsville, Texas. If he could do 50Shades of Grey and some scandalous modeling, playing a menacing Dr. Death should be a piece of cake, right? It was pouring out of the epidural blood vessels and pooling in the disc space. And not just Dallas CountyI dont recall hearing about it anywhere.. A longtime field agent for the Collin County Medical Examiner, Passmore needed knowledge from his training at scenes. Unlike a TV series where you get to see the character,a podcast is darker. According to his lawyer, Duntsch was a scapegoat. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). In a statement, the hospital said it cooperated with the Texas Medical Board when asked, and did not file its own complaint because it was aware someone else already had. He secured investments in Discgenics from local spine surgeons, including Robertson and Dr. Kevin Foley, a prominent Memphis neurosurgeon under whom Duntsch would spend a year training as part of a minimally invasive spine surgery fellowship at the Semmes-Murphey Clinic, one of the largest neurosurgery practices in the United States. Eddie Redmayne dans le rle de Charlie Cullen et Jessica Chastain dans le rle d'Amy Surprisingly, his superiors at The University of Tennessee also gave him glowing reviews. According to ProPublica, Duntsch's residency and fellowship records show less than 100 surgeries. Morgan didnt follow Duntsch after Baylor Plano. He was the eldest of four. There is no way to communicate what happened there, without a 20-page document of disclosures and events and responsible parties, Duntsch once wrote of Brown and Efurd. I knocked on my door. He was ultimately convicted of injuring an elderly person in connection with Mary Efurds case and was sentenced to life behind bars. Dr. Christopher Duntsch, better known as Doctor Death, is serving a life sentence at a Texas prison today. Since no one else knew what was wrong, they couldn't save her. We talked about marriage pretty quickly. In a long running series of complaints, a Texas doctor has been found guilty of a felony in one medical malpractice case. There was Kellie Martin, who died from massive blood loss after a surgery at Baylor Plano. She also says they snorted cocaine from a small pile that he kept on a dresser in his home office. Rohr is a very professional man, Passmore says. Dr. Around that same time, Duntschs behavior was becoming erratic. Duntsch filed for bankruptcy and was arrested in Denver for driving under the influence on Jan. 10, 2014, according to local station KCNC-TV. The hospitals didnt do their due diligence until it was too late, and those who couldve spoken up didnt. Famously known by the Family name Christopher Daniel Duntsch, is a great neurosurgeon and convicted criminal for malpractice.He was born on April 3, 1971, in Montana. If that weren't enough, Page once happened across a drawer at Duntsch's house. I dont want to be on Channel 8, I dont want to be on Inside Edition. He was gone until Monday. And you are one of the lucky ones." He said Youngwho by now had given birth to their son, Aidenwas just his secretary and friend. Duntsch, Kukekov, and Ignatova are listed as its inventors. There was a dissection of one patients esophagus, and screws that an indictment labeled far too long that caused significant blood loss in another patient. But Duntsch soldiered on. His CV proclaims that he earned a doctorate in microbiology from the prestigious St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, graduating summa cum laude. This despite the drug problems as well as incomplete residency training. The 31 people who survived Dr. Duntsch's scalpel face a struggle for the rest of their lives. After Summers procedure, Morgan says Duntsch was not allowed to operate at Baylor Plano until March 2012. Sort of. When he finally turned up again, he was made to attended a program for impaired physicians. He was the first surgeon to do so, but not the last. Now, one of the several complaints against the . When Mary Efurd could no longer walk, Dallas Medical Center called in Dr. Henderson to salvage the botched surgery. The thing is, if you dont push this, with everybody else settling, theyre getting away with it again., 750 North St.Paul St. But what Duntsch hadnt counted on was the Dallas County District Attorneys Office. Soon, when Duntsch was requesting privileges at Baylor Plano, Robertson sent a letter to the hospital verifying Duntschs training. At this point, Im like freaking out, and I just, I leave.. But Hoyle says an X-ray later showed it was positioned too far to the left. The autopsy had not been finished when Passmore accidentally saw the fax from Baylor Plano. Duntsch has maimed or killed. Hoyle, the surgeon who exposed the incision in Passmore, had also filed a complaint with the board. Its less than a millimeter from the spinal canal. Peacock's new grisly drama tells the real-life story of Dallas-area neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch, who killed or maimed more than 30 patients in the 2010s. Though Christopher Duntsch moved to Dallas with girlfriend Wendy Young, he soon hired nurse practioner Kimberly Morgan as his assistant and began a romantic relationship with her. Talking to the Dallas Morning News in 2014, Duntsch said he provided the test and was clean. Out of his 38 surgeries, only three had no complications. He signed a physician services agreement on May 24, 2011, with Rimlawi and Wons Minimally Invasive Spine Institute. Everything On His Family And Wikipedia Bio She assumed Morgan was only helping with research. Jurors convicted Duntsch Tuesday of injury to an elderly person in the botched July 2012 surgery that put Mary Efurd in a wheelchair. All Duntsch got was a slap on the wrist while his blood-soaked foray into the OR continued. They'd requested an investigation into his matter, deeming him to be a threat to the general public. There are 31 people left alive today, irreparably damaged by Dr. Death's grievous malpractices. The 51-year-old recently starred in the USA true crime series, Dirty John, opposite Connie Britton. His childhood was seemingly great. A husband and wife pair of Russian stem cell scientists, Valery Kukekov and Tatyana Ignatova entered the picture. Christopher Duntsch was born in Montana and spent most of his youth in Memphis, Tennessee. I'd call him a sociopath." By the time the Dallas County district attorney's office got involved and brought criminal charges against. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! AnnaSophia Robb, 27, portrays Michelle Shughart, the assistant district attorney on Dr. Death's case. But thats all. His dad is a physical therapist. In one particularly disturbing episode, in March 2015, she said she arrived home to her front door had been locked with a deadbolt from the inside. They listened, judged and found Duntsch guilty, and sentenced him to life in prison, reports USA Today. Such behavior did not go unnoticed by the other doctors. Lopez answers Henderson's frustrationin a somber tone, sayingthat while you may know a doctor is bad, gathering evidence takes time. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. His next patient, Floella Brown was 63. Despite receiving complaints dating back to 2012, the Texas Medical Board didnt revoke Duntschs privileges until June 2013. This is notably weird, considering Christopher Duntsch trained underDr. Boop, so you'd assume that theyoperated together as part of the whole learning surgery process. The evidence said otherwise. A couple of months later, FloellaBrown came to Duntsch for a cervical fusion to alleviate her neck and shoulder pain. It wasnt until lawsuits were filed that the alleged drug use became public. She was a stay-at-home mom to their two children, Preston and Aiden; her income was tied to Duntschs. The nerve root had been amputated. Passmore says the space above a disc in his lower spine had been blown out in the first surgery, and Duntsch returned to pick out the pieces. He wasnt paranoid. Its accessible only to hospitals, and facilities are federally mandated to report their delinquents. Im the only clean minimally invasive guy in the whole state. Thats according to Dr. Mark Hoyle, who was the general surgeon during Passmores surgery. 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. Martin was his first patient back, and it was the last operation he performed at that hospital. But Passmore knows its his battle to fight. Hoyle stepped in front of Duntsch to block his way. How old was Millie Bobby Brown in Stranger Things season 1? Meanwhile, Brown went brain dead and passed away. He alleged that Duntsch promised to pay him in stocks and out of his own salary but failed to follow through. I dont know if hes there to harm me or what his true intentions were, Wendy Young said of the harrowing alleged encounter with Christopher Duntsch. I dont have Facebook, I dont Myspace. 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. Also Read: Made For Love: Who Are Caleb Foote Parents? Was this a way of keeping the University of Tennessee's ranking up? At the time, Kane was dating Jerry Summer, a childhood friend of Duntsch. Duntsch was also picked up wandering near a Chase Bank in North Dallas and taken to Green Oaks psychiatric hospital for an evaluation. Its hard to find good conversation with a random person, Young says. He did earnhis M.D., doing so well that he was among the 12 percent of medical school graduates in his class named to the elite Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. Through his career, reports of him doing rounds under the influence were commonplace. But it was growing increasingly clear that his opportunities were running out. While applying to Baylor Regional Medical Center in Plano, TX, Duntsch also provided Dr. Jon Robertson as a reference. Two of his patients, Floella Brown and Kellie Martin, died.. Wendy Renee Young and Christopher Duntsch were parents of two kids, Preston and Aiden. (Neither responded to requests for comment for this story.) One surgeon described these as never events. They shouldnt ever happen in someones entire career. And professional marketing videos got him ready and willing patients. You, my child, are the only one between me and the other side, he wrote. There was Floella Brown, whose sliced vertebral artery triggered the stroke that killed her at Dallas Medical Center. Passmore later discovered that, less than a week after his second surgery, Duntsch had operated on 45-year-old Barry Morguloff. Christopher Duntsch Early Life Story, Family Background and Education. Duntsch was also arrested for driving under the influence while staying with his parents in Colorado and found himself in handcuffs another time in April of 2015 after he was arrested for stealing $887.30 in Walmart merchandise, according to the D Magazine. He went back to the sourcethe University of Tennessee Health Science Center. We moved in together within three months, and then I became pregnant.. 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. 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. He had a lot of animus to me personally. By November, he had surgical privileges to operate on patients. Kane came into the picture as a deposition witness. However, in the Peacock series, the couple is parents to only one child. At this point, Ive had enough and so I called the police.. Nerve pain now fires through his back, the result of a screw lodged in a nerve bundle. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. The damage is irreversible. But Morguloffs suit describes him being in excruciating pain and telling nurses that his pain was a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. His fellow neurosurgeons found him to be fast-talking and cocksure, a bit of a loner. With such goings-on, Duntsch got himself kicked out of his own company. He harmed the very people who trusted him. I dont know if hes there to harm me or what his true intentions were, she said in the docuseries. By this time his wife and he had separated and he also filed for bankruptcy. He has left a novels worth of defenses on the web, in PDFs, and in comments below news stories. After they all partied through the night, powered by LSD and cocaine, she said she saw Duntsch put on his lab coat to make rounds the next morning. He was born in Montana, but his family settled in a suburb east of Memphis where the median household income is about $30,000 higher than the rest of the country. And so shes here, in a Christian coffee shop tucked into a corner of the town square of Springtown, west of Fort Worth, where she lives with her new boyfriends parents. He is a graduate of Evangelical Christian School in the Cordova suburb of Memphis, where he starred in football. Neurosurgeon Duntsch Found Guilty, Faces Life in Prison, In Duntschs Assault Trial, Questions About His Role After Patient Deaths, In Second Day of Testimony, Doctor Calls Neurosurgeon Duntschs Outcomes Catastrophic. The real question isn't why Dr. Duntsch did what he did. Michael Rimlawi and Douglas Wonthe pair then owned the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute in North Dallasrecruited him from Memphis to join the practice. He wasn't concerned about the drugs in his system while he did his rounds. As the eldest of four, his parents remember him as a precocious boy. Only time will tell story about Christopher Duntsch finally broke, discovered stem cells in human brain tumors, Duntsch, Ignatova, and Kukekov as the inventors, Neurosurgeon residents need to complete 1,000 surgeries, Page would see Duntsch mixing a vodka orange, At Health Grades Duntsch had 4.3 out of 5 stars, Dr. Robertson also gave Duntsch a great review, Attorney James Girards was representing Lee Passmore, one of the doctors he spoke to likened Duntsch to Hannibal Lecter, the school refused to verify or deny his claims, according to a report by the Dallas County prosecutors, According to the prosecutors, TMB had many complaints on file, irreparably damaged by Dr. Death's grievous malpractices, It took the Texas Medical Board one whole year to investigate, Henderson actually checked if Duntsch was a real doctor with The University of Tennessee, Hospitals are liable only if the plaintiff can prove that the hospital was also malicious, the same law also helps these very hospitals, For the DA though she proved to be a good witness, A string of arrests for DWI, shoplifting, and more followed, Becker's Hospital Review covered the 13 worst physicians of 2017, as named by Medscape, Dr. Death is now also going to be a TV show, Will it help patients protect their rights. Thus, his license was revoked for good on December 6, 2013. At Health Grades Duntsch had 4.3 out of 5 stars, "above [the] national average." Not long after, Young said Duntsch broke into her apartment for the first time. In the deposition, she states that Duntsch snorted cocaine from a handy pile he kept on a dresser at his home. Theres no blank here for that.. But she wasnt in the room when he woke up a quadriplegic, telling anyone with ears that Duntsch had been using cocaine the night before the procedure. Or, they should be: the scientists names are misspelled. The Staircase (The O.G.). Duntsch hired Morgan while he was still with the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute, and she began on August 29, 2011. Duntsch was described asa precocious boy and a bright student. Dr. Christopher Duntsch When he moved to Dallas in late 2010, Duntsch was 41 years old, fresh out of a residency program at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center's Department of. Patrick Clerkin, a longtime friend, stopped at the doorway with his two kids as well as Passmores 7- and 9-year-old girls. Now keep in mind, Morgan herself was at the wrong end of some of these suits. That same month, Kirby wrote, he, along with the Glidewell family, brought the case to prosecutors and asked to press charges. By 2011, Duntsch had been sued by Discgenics former chief operating officer, a high school pal who joined when it was founded. His father, Donald, was a missionary and a physical therapist. Joshua Jackson stars as Dr. Christopher Duntsch, a twisted neurosurgeon who goes on a malpractice rampage in the halls of the hospitals that are inattentive and neglectful enough to employ him . Christopher Duntsch has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. Foley said Duntsch was satisfactory in his fellowship, that he saw no evidence of the things he was accused of in Dallas happening in Memphis. Whatever Duntsch set out to be when he first donned that white coat, being a media sensation for all the wrong reasons may not have been his goal. Hoyle became so disturbed by Duntsch's actions that at one point he physically restrained him. He always had a plan, always had a pitch, always had a way to fix you. Did these doctors truly not see though Duntsch? 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 an arrest report obtained by the outlet, he had been driving on two flat fires and had two empty bottles of Mikes Hard Lemonade in the vehicle. Duntsch had moved from the W to Hotel Zaza and then, finally, to a five-bedroom house not far from the hospital. Brown had a massive stroke overnight that left her in a vegetative state, and her family chose to remove life support days later. Young lived there, too, and she says Morgan was a frequent visitor. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Was it you? Young said in the docuseries. He has a job inside the prison. Christopher Duntsch, aka Dr. Death, a former Texas-based neurosurgeon, maimed dozens of his victims and killed at least two. He was a phenomenal partner right up until the pandemic hit and we got shut down. Becker's Hospital Review covered the 13 worst physicians of 2017, as named by Medscape. Passmore was allowed to resign and still access his long-term disability insurance, which he says hed paid into for more than 10 years. I didnt really know how to feel anymore, but while he was out in Colorado we kept in contact.. While the show features the exes as the parents to one son, they had two kids together in real life. And yet nearly all who met him said they liked him immediately. In her deposition, Morgan said Baylor Plano President Jerri Garison called both of them to her office and told them what Summers had said. When he finally came to the hospital, he busied himself with another patient, also on the DA's list, Mary Efurd. Wendy Renee Young is the mother of three children. But Dr. William Rohr did editorialize in his conclusion: The collection of blood was most likely the result of a therapeutic misadventure. Duntsch blames the death on an allergy to fentanyl, a powerful narcotic often used in intubation. He also vibrateshis chest shakes, his right hand jitters. Death after botching 33 of38 surgeries over a two-year span, inside the apartment covered in blood, holding her gun in one hand and a knife in the other, she said. (He also appears in no yearbooks from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center at the time in which he says he earned his Ph.D., and the school declined to verify his claims, citing afederal privacy law.) But she smiles softly as she talks about those early days with Duntsch, when they were still learning about each others lives. This is accomplished by: Establishing quality . All we can say ishes fine.. His mom was a teacher. So the hospitals he worked for knew of his carelessness and sociopathic behavior in the OR. Creating cells from a culture would eliminate the need for human extraction; there was huge potential upside. It had come from Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano. Unfortunately, Martin and Brown were not alive to tell their tale. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Of that set, two died and 31 were paralyzed or seriously injured. He would climb a ladder and take aerial photos of crime scenes to aid in the death investigation. 1. He said somebody had been there and they had hit him on the head, she said. Dr Christopher Duntsch is accused of causing agony to countless patients or worse during the three years he practiced medicine in Dallas. Wendy Young knew her ex-boyfriend Christopher Duntschs medical career was unraveling, but she wasnt prepared for what she said was his bizarre behavior that coincided with his fall from grace as a surgeon. The message alluded to a week where everything unraveled with their relationship. Likely due to Duntsch'sattemptto staunch the blood loss, Brown suffered a buildup of pressure in her brain. According to Young, there was even a ransom note for her and her two children written in blood. In March 2012, Duntsch performed alaminectomy on Kellie Martin to reduce her back pain after afallat home. And not just Dallas County, I don't recall hearing about it anywhere." No spam, ever. Duntschs legal woes were only just beginning. To fellow surgeon Mark Hoyle, he said, "Everybody's doing it wrong. Duntsch had a comfortable upbringing. The evidence collected by the DA's office by subpoenaing every hospital on his CVshows Duntsch completes a fraction of these. She, after being in Duntsch's OR, would never walk again. I have taken one selfie in my lifeon a dare. In early 2014, he was arrested for DUI and sent to rehab, according to ProPublica. Matt Goodman is the online editorial director for. Sadly, being moral and good aren't therequisites schools need to let someone become a doctor. It wasnt his invention, Kukekov says. Duntschmade the incision in the wrong place before nicking a vertebral artery, confusing the muscles in Glidewell's neck for a tumor, cutting into his vocal cords, and removing a piece of hisesophagus. Duntschdestroyed the lives of numerous patients who were seeking relief from back problems. Around May 2013, Henderson got a call from Foley, the fellowship supervisor. 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. Since receiving his life sentence, Dr Death is currently housed in the O.B. Duntsch wrote that he accepted he was a cold-blooded killer. He was constantly involved in research, and, around 2006, he saw a way to commercialize discoveries by renowned Russian stem cell scientists Valery Kukekov and Tatyana Ignatova, a husband-and-wife team. "Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story" and the scripted series "Dr. Death," starring Joshua Jackson, Alec Baldwin and Christian Slaterare both available to stream on Peacock now. Texas tort reform laws cap the amount that patients can sue physicians for malpractice at $250,000. Duntsch soon appeared and tried to calm them, assuring them that Passmore would be fine in one or two days. Photo: I dont want to be in your magazine, sir, I apologize, Passmore told me. His right leg is as stiff as his pressed blue jeans, and when he walks, he appears to use his hips to heave it forward. The two broke up in 2014, at which time Wendy was pregnant with their second child. Hed received a letter from University General Hospital in South Dallas, verifying Duntschs training. Wendy has reportedly been keeping a low-profile life since ending her relationship with Duntsch and since he went to prison. The good-looking but eerie Jamie Dornan. Many readers may recognize the name Christopher Duntsch, a doctor who allegedly was negligent in his practice for years before finally being stripped of his medical license. And there were plenty of other signs as well. July 15, 2021 Scott McDermott/Peacock Peacock's new crime drama Dr. Death dramatizes the true story of Christopher Duntsch, a former Dallas-based neurosurgeon who was sentenced to life in. Meanwhile, his patients kept suffering, and dying, in his OR. Christopher Duntsch, Known As Dr. Death, Maimed His Patients Through Routine Back Surgery. There were multiple screw holes nowhere near where they were supposed to be, and a screw had been lodged in another nerve root near the bottom of the spine. Santa Clarita Diet's Dominic Burgess plays Jerry Summers, a former patient and best friend of Dr Death's. But patient advocates and the surgeons that mobilized to rid him of his license say that Duntsch was the perfect storm. Neurosurgeon residents need to complete 1,000 surgeries as training requirements. 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. On paper, the 40-year-old man who arrived in Dallas in the summer of 2011 was a completely different Christopher Duntsch than the one who was introduced to the public after more than a dozen allegations of severely botched surgeries. He thought about how all that might have been stolen from him in a matter of hours. Or was Duntsch just good at hiding his true self? But Passmore is one of the lucky ones. According to Texas Medical Board records, Summers vertebral artery was damaged, and he lost more than two liters of blood while intubated. Over this period, Duntschperformed back surgeries that left his patients in a worse condition,paralyzed, ordeceased. It was something that made us all nervous, but we never had any proof, Boop said in the phone call. Within months, she says, he had offers in Dallas, San Diego, and New York. They turned around, away from the yelling. Christopher Duntsch and Wendy Young struck up a conversation right away, and within three months, they were dating and living together. For the DA though she proved to be a good witness. You dont get to walk away from two or three years of medical training, in the middle of an internship or a residency, get to take time off and be slotted directly in the position you left in with no questions asked. Dallas most important news stories of the week, delivered to your inbox each Sunday. Christopher Duntsch, once a supremely confident neurosurgeon with a solid rsum and a wealth of potential, fled town in disgrace last year under a scalding cascade . By this time, Summers, the childhood friend, had come to live with Duntsch, too. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Let's delve into what made him tick, and how the medical community failed the victims of Dr. Christopher Daniel Duntsch. 33 of his 37 surgeries were botched, with two dead and 31 injured for life. 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.