Brother confirms cause of death for woman who died on flight from Dominican Republic

An Indiana mother who died after falling ill on a plane flying from the Dominican Republic to the U.S. died of natural causes, her brother told ABC News.

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Stefanie Smith, 41, was returning home from a vacation on Feb. 28 when she became ill on an American Airlines flight. The plane made an emergency landing in the Turks and Caicos Islands, where she was then transported to a hospital and pronounced dead.

According to her brother, Chris Volz, her family was told by a medical examiner Wednesday that Smith died from a carotid artery dissection in her neck.

A carotid dissection is a tear in one of your carotid arteries. Carotid arteries are a set of paired arteries at the sides of your neck. These arteries supply blood to your brain.

“It was truly a tragic medical event that happened,” Volz told ABC.

Volz added that the results of the autopsy do not suggest foul play.

According to Johns Hopkins Hospital, several things can cause a carotid artery dissection, including:

• Swimming and scuba diving
• Skating and dancing
• Play sports such as tennis, basketball, or volleyball
• Doing yoga
• Riding roller coasters or other rides
• Jumping on a trampoline
• Giving birth
• Being in a car accident
• Sneezing or coughing
• Receiving chiropractic manipulations

Or, the hospital says, a carotid dissection can occur suddenly, without a known cause.

If a person has a disease that weakens arterial walls, they can be at greater risk for a dissection, the hospital said.

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