A medspa owner has been charged with murder after a woman allegedly died minutes after receiving an “IV cocktail” treatment at a Texas spa.
Amber Johnson is accused of administering IV therapy in an unsafe manner that allegedly caused customer Jenifer Cleveland to suffer cardiac arrest.
Just one day before her death, Cleveland had praised the business on Facebook, writing: “The Luxe Medspa By Amber Johnson will definitely make you look and feel beautiful!”
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According to court documents and medical board records cited by PEOPLE, the 47-year-old died on July 10, 2023 after allegedly being given a powerful IV infusion too quickly at the facility in Luxe Medspa in Wortham, Texas.
Authorities allege the treatment included multiple vitamins and electrolytes, including potassium chloride contained within TPN electrolytes — substances that require a prescription and careful administration, as reported by Need To Know.
According to the Texas Medical Board, the infusion was allegedly administered in an “unsafe manner”, with certain medications carrying a known risk of sudden cardiac arrest if delivered too quickly.
Cleveland lost consciousness less than half an hour after the IV allegedly began.
Johnson was indicted by a grand jury on charges including felony murder, manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, practising medicine without a licence, tampering with evidence and multiple counts linked to the delivery of dangerous drugs, according to court documents obtained by Law&Crime.
She later turned herself in and was released on a $69,000 bond, according to jail records cited by PEOPLE.
The Texas Medical Board stated that staff at Luxe Medspa attempted CPR before paramedics transported Cleveland to hospital, where she was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
Court records allege Johnson did not hold a medical licence despite operating the medspa.
The medical board also alleged there were no medically licensed staff physically present at the facility while IV therapy was being administered.
Dr Michael Gallagher, who was acting as the spa’s medical director, has also been arrested and charged with murder, manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide, alongside multiple drug-related offences.
According to KWTX, Gallagher was allegedly more than 100 miles away when the treatment took place.
The Texas Medical Board had previously suspended his licence following allegations he failed to properly supervise staff and allowed treatments to be carried out without proper safeguards.
However, Cleveland’s final autopsy reportedly listed her cause of death as “sudden cardiac death of uncertain etiology”, stating IV therapy could not be conclusively ruled in or ruled out as a contributing factor.
Following her death, Cleveland’s husband Brian filed a civil lawsuit against Luxe Medspa.
He also helped campaign for “Jenifer’s Law”, legislation introducing tighter regulation around elective IV therapy clinics in Texas, which was signed into law in 2025.
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