SHE was nicknamed the ‘half-ton killer’ after claiming she killed her nephew by rolling on him.Now Mayra Rosales is making headlines again for much better reasons.
SHE was nicknamed the ‘half-ton killer’ after falsely claiming she killed her nephew by rolling on him.
But Mayra Rosales is making headlines again, this time for very good reason.
The American woman, who once weighed around 470kg at her heaviest, has now lost a stunning 80 per cent of her body weight and revealed her incredible new look in a series of Facebook posts.
The Texan was once branded the world’s fattest woman, but new photos show she is far from that now.
Rosales first came to global attention after confessing to crushing her two-year-old nephew, Eliseo, to death in 2008, but she was acquitted of all charges in 2011.
As it turned out, Rosales, fearing her life was already over, confessed to the crime to protect her sister Jamie who is now serving 15 years’ jail for abusing the boy, The Mirror reported.
The Texan woman’s weight loss is nothing short of dramatic.
Authorities had to cut a hole in her bedroom wall and carry her into court on a stretcher in a case which was as bizarre as it was heartbreaking.
It was later discovered that Rosales, who had been confined to her bed for two years prior to Eliseo’s death, was too big to roll on him and smother him.
Autopsy results also showed he died from multiple injuries to his skull and her sister eventually confessed to the crime herself.
“I thought I was dying anyway so I decided to admit that I’d done it to protect my sister because I love her,” Rosales said of the confession.
Mayra Rosales, pictured with her cousin, after losing more than 250kg.
Six years on, and 11 operations later, the 34-year-old has turned her life around, with a new boyfriend, a leaner 90kg frame and a new healthy outlook.
She regularly posts her progress on her Facebook page and speaks about her dramatic loss and says anyone can do when she has.
Earlier this year, she posted about her skin removal operation.
Just last month, she also posted how determined she is to keep the weight off and how she wants to share her weight loss tips for those in need.
Her story has attracted a raft of support from people.
One user, Jossalynn Moukouanga, posted: “Keep up the good work on yourself and helping others.”
Another, Julianne Naeem, posted: “You are a true inspiration … you look amazing, Well done!”
Her incredible story forms the basis of documentary My 600-Pound Life which airs on US television network TLC.
In a trailer for the show, she can be seen carried on a stretcher and loaded into a moving van because she’s too fat to fit into an ambulance.
“At this point, if things don’t change, I’m going to die,” she says before her dramatic weight loss.
Mayra was the fattest woman in the world and had lived in her bed for two years. Picture: TLC
She told abc13, she hoped her story can inspire others to change their lives and that anyone was capable of coming back from the brink.
“I was dying. I don’t know if you had seen pictures before you could see it in my face. I had given up in life,” Rosales said.
“I was alive but not living a life.”
In addition to first losing more than 220kgs, Rosales underwent a lap band procedure.
She has also had numerous skin removal surgeries and is now seeking to gain custody of her sister’s remaining children, having lost around 360kg in total.