Woman flying back to US after Dominican Republic vacation falls ill on plane, dies

An Indiana woman died after falling ill mid-flight on a plane headed from the Dominican Republic to North Carolina, according to the Indianapolis Star.

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Stefanie Smith, 41, became ill on the Feb. 28 flight after vacationing in the Dominican Republic. The American Airlines plane Smith was on made an emergency landing in the Turks and Caicos where Smith was transported to a hospital.

She died at the hospital.

Medical examiners have not yet released a cause of death, according to ABC News.

The Royal Turks and Caicos Island Police Force posted a statement on Facebook that said the flight diverted to Turks and Caicos so Smith could receive medical assistance. She was already receiving CPR on the plane at the time of the call from Air Traffic Control, the statement said.

Smith was vacationing with her boyfriend for five days and seemed healthy right before the flight, her friend, Maria Yannotti told ABC.

“She loves going to the gym every day, even while we were in the Dominican. She made it a point to get up every morning to go to the gym and run on the beach,” Yannotti, who traveled to the Dominican Republic separately, told ABC News.

Smith’s boyfriend was sitting next to her on the flight and said her eyes rolled back and she started convulsing, according to Yannotti.

Smith was the mother of two children, an 18-year-old son and a 16-year-old daughter. She was not known to have any pre-existing medical conditions, her brother, Chris Volz, said.

“She was a special person. ... Her kids really ... love her a lot, and I know she loved them,” he said. “And so it’s tough.”

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