The family of an Indiana mother who died on an American Airlines flight from the Dominican Republic still doesn’t know how she died, her brother told NBC News Friday.
According to police, Stephanie Smith, 41, was on American Airlines Flight 2790 from Punta Cana to Charlotte, North Carolina on February 28 when her condition suddenly deteriorated.
After receiving CPR on the plane, she was diverted to the Turks and Caicos Islands and taken to a local hospital, but her life could not be saved.
Indiana mother appeared fit and healthy before dying suddenly on board AA flight, family and friends say
Stephanie Smith, 41, was on American Airlines Flight 2790 from Punta Cana to Charlotte, North Carolina, when she suffered a seizure and died. (Facebook/Stefanie Smith/Eric MD Bell Funeral Home and Cremation Services)
“The uncertainty, not knowing how she died and not knowing when her body will be returned has been the hardest thing lately,” Smith’s brother, Chris Volz, told NBC News. I think so,” he said. “It’s been a week, so we’ve gotten over the initial shock. But now there’s uncertainty.”
Volz told the media that her family has chosen a date for her sister’s “celebration of life.” However, it remains unclear when the Turks and Caicos Islands hospital will release the body, and Volz said he has not yet heard from American Airlines.
“We hope to know soon,” Volz told NBC.
He also told the outlet that his family is struggling to cope with the situation after his sister’s death.
“My sister saw the best in everyone,” Volz told NBC. “She really valued her family and her relationships with her friends. She put smiles on people’s faces.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Volz for additional comment.
Indiana mother falls ill and dies on American Airlines flight from Dominican Republic
Smith’s cause of death has not yet been announced. Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police said in a statement that “a female passenger became ill during the flight” and that “police control received a call from the air traffic control tower requesting medical assistance for a 41-year-old woman”. She was undergoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at the time. ”
“A medical team was dispatched along with police forces and the patient was taken to Cheshire Hall Medical Center where he died. A post-mortem examination will be carried out to confirm the cause of death,” police said in a statement. February 28th.
Fox News Digital has reached out to police and the hospital for comment.
According to police, Stephanie Smith, 41, was on American Airlines Flight 2790 from Punta Cana to Charlotte, North Carolina on February 28 when her condition suddenly deteriorated. (Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images)
“On February 28, American Airlines Flight 2790 from Punta Cana (PUJ), Dominican Republic to Charlotte (CLT) was diverted to Providenciales International Airport (PLS) due to a passenger’s medical needs. Initial Responders met the aircraft and one passenger was taken to a local hospital,” American Airlines told FOX News Digital in a statement Friday.
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Smith’s friend Maria Yannotti told ABC News that Smith’s boyfriend was sitting next to her on the plane when his eyes rolled back and he started convulsing. Ms. Yannotti was also on her trip, but she was traveling separately from Ms. Smith and her boyfriend.
Yannotti said Smith’s boyfriend initially thought she was joking, but soon realized she was in distress.
Doctors and nurses on board the plane assisted with CPR before the plane made an emergency landing in the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British overseas territory located southeast of the Bahamas.
Doctors and nurses on board the plane assisted with CPR before the plane made an emergency landing in the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British overseas territory located southeast of the Bahamas. (St. Petersburg)
Yannotti said Smith had been on a five-day vacation with her boyfriend and appeared to be in good health until shortly before her departure.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Yannotti for additional comment.
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Ms. Smith was the mother of two children, an 18-year-old son, Cohen, and a 16-year-old daughter, Macy.
