The Indiana mother of two died suddenly on a plane on February 28 while returning from a week-long marital vacation in the Dominican Republic, friends said.
An American Airlines flight was headed from Punta Cana to Charlotte when Stephanie Smith, 41, suffered a seizure shortly after takeoff, forcing the plane to divert to the Turks and Caicos Islands, Smith’s friend Maria said.・Yannotti told FOX News Digital.
“Her boyfriend said he was preparing to gain altitude, or that he wouldn’t be in the air very long. But when he looked at her, he saw her head tilted back against the seat. Her eyes were rolling in the back of her head, and he thought she was just teasing them. They joke all the time. ..like that,” said Yannotti, who was traveling to Punta Cana with her fiance, Smith and Smith’s boyfriend.
“And he said, ‘The next thing I knew, she was convulsing,'” Yannotti added.
Family of Indiana mother killed in AA plane still has unanswered questions
Stephanie Smith died suddenly on a plane returning from a week-long vacation in Punta Cana. (Maria Yannotti)
Smith’s boyfriend called a flight attendant for help and began CPR, but to no avail.
Indiana mother appeared fit and healthy before dying suddenly on board AA flight, family and friends say
Turks and Caicos Islands Police announced that at 6:12 p.m. on the same day, they received a call from the air traffic control tower requesting medical assistance for a 41-year-old female who was being treated at the time. [CPR]Authorities sent a medical team and police to the scene and took Smith to Cheshire Hall Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Stephanie Smith started having seizures on the flight home from Punta Cana. (Facebook)
Just before the plane took off, Smith texted Yannotti at 4:55 p.m. and asked Yannotti to remind him to call her when she had a connection in Charlotte because she had an “interesting story.”
Yannotti said Smith and her boyfriend traveled together to celebrate Yannotti’s fiance’s birthday. The two couples were staying at the Iberostar Grand Bavaro in Punta Cana. Stays at this all-inclusive resort start from $600 a night and up.
Maria Yannotti said Stephanie Smith and her boyfriend traveled to Punta Cana to celebrate Yannotti’s fiance’s birthday. (Maria Yannotti)
“Everything she had, I had,” Yannotti said. “We ate almost the same meals and drank almost the same drinks. [any]His body was belligerent. [W]We just had some delicious drinks poolside and beachside. So most of the time we were watching them open bottles right in front of us. We had a great time. We played beach volleyball. we swam. ”
Mr Yannotti said he had known Mr Smith for nearly two years as his partner was a friend, and described Mr Smith as “a bundle of energy” and “the life of the party”.
Maria Yannotti, who said she has known Stephanie Smith for nearly two years because her partner is a friend, described her friend as “a bundle of energy” and “the life of the party.” (Maria Yannotti)
“She was definitely a one-of-a-kind woman. She was a bundle of energy. She was always willing to help someone, excited, always smiling. When I met her… She had a similar personality to mine, so I knew we would hit it off. She was “just so full of life, I mean, she would take off her shirt for everyone. “Sometimes she put others before herself and loved to have a good time. She loved to laugh… She loved to sing karaoke. She was the life of the party.” ”
Yannotti said Smith’s boyfriend took her sudden death as “bad.”
Indiana mother falls ill and dies on American Airlines flight from Dominican Republic
Stephanie Smith’s autopsy results have not yet been released. (Facebook)
“So he was sitting right next to her, and she took her last breath without knowing that it was probably her last breath,” Yannotti said.
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Autopsy and toxicology results have not yet been released. Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department and the owner of the resort where Smith and Yannotti were staying.
