Dr. Eric Andrew Salata’s first court appearance was scheduled for next month
A Florida doctor accused of sexually assaulting multiple women while they were under anesthesia was found dead in a ditch Monday, according to reports.
Dr. Eric Andrew Salata, 54, was arrested Nov. 21 after two women, ages 51 and 73, reported to police that he had sexually assaulted them at his office on Naples’ ritzy 5th Avenue. Both women said the assaults occurred after Salata administered nitrous oxide to assist with sedation and pain from their procedures.
The Naples Police Department on Nov. 22 confirmed two women’s allegations against Dr. Eric Andrew Salata — a 54-year-old, board-certified physician at Pura Vida Medical Spa, though there could be more victims.
The first victim told police that Salata had administered “nitrous oxide to assist with sedation and pain from the procedure,” according to a press release from Naples Police.
“During the procedure, as the nitrous oxide was wearing off, she found Dr. Salata performing sexual intercourse,” Naples police said.
The victim felt “shocked after the sedation subsided about what had taken place, contacted police and submitted to a sexual assault examination,” which was then submitted to a lab for further investigation.
A second victim relayed a similar incident in which Salata allegedly assaulted her while she was under sedation at his spa. Detectives collected evidence and submitted it to a lab in that instance, as well.
The first two victims who came forward were 51 and 73 years old, according to a police report obtained by the Naples Daily News. The victims recalled inhaling laughing gas under Salata’s instructions to ease pain from their respective procedures before he allegedly raped them, the outlet reported.
After his arrest, a third victim reportedly came forward against the doctor on the record, according to NBC2 News.
Salata appeared in court on Tuesday, Nov. 22 and posted bond. On Monday, Collier County sheriff’s deputies responded to a welfare check on Salata in the 4800 block of Gail Boulevard after no movement was detected in his monitor, WINK News reported.
A sheriff’s deputy found Salata in a ditch after spotting a boot sticking up out of a wooded area, according to an incident report cited by the outlet. Salata reportedly had a gunshot wound to his head and a pistol lying next to his right leg.
His death is not believed to be suspicious. Salata was scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 19.
No further details were released, and the circumstances of his reported death remain unclear. Fox News Digital has contacted the Collier County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
Tags: Patient Harm Provider Arrest Sexual Assault
