Model Katie May died after chiropractic visit, father says

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Katie May had the online world at her feet. The 34-year-old Playboy model was a queen of Snapchat and had more than 2 million followers on Instagram.

But her life ended in February days after a visit with her chiropractor.

Katie May's father, Joe May, spoke with Eyewitness News over the phone from Pittsburgh on Wednesday. He said the Los Angeles County coroner attributed his daughter's death to the actions of the chiropractor.

The coroner's office said the official cause of death was vertebral artery dissection, which is essentially the manipulation of the neck. It tore an artery leading to the brain.

The California Board of the Chiropractic Examiners said it doesn't comment on whether or not it receives a complaint against one of its members.

Most of the time when a person suffers an injury like May's, it's due to a pre-existing condition that makes a patient more vulnerable, according to family medicine specialist Dr. Manuel Momjian.

"I don't think it should bring down the chiropractic industry, but it should make us all step back and ask questions to our doctors," he said.

May's father said her death leaves her 7-year-old daughter motherless. He wants to make sure something similar does not happen to anyone else.

"That's what we want. I would tell any guy or girl who goes to a doctor - and I've told them - don't touch my neck."