INDIANA – A family vacation ended in tragedy for an Indiana mother on a return flight from the Dominican Republic. Family and friends expressed their shock and sorrow after Stefanie Smith’s sudden death aboard an American Airlines aircraft on Feb. 28.
According to the police in Turks and Caicos, where an emergency landing was undertaken, the 41-year-old Smith abruptly fell ill mid-flight. Upon landing, she was rushed to a hospital but sadly did not survive. The police are awaiting autopsy results to so that they can determine the cause of Smith’s sudden death.
Smith’s friend Maria Yannotti, who was part of the vacation group but traveled separately, remembered how Smith would exercise daily at the gym while on vacation. She highlighted that Smith had seemed perfectly healthy before the ill-fated flight.
Expressing shock, Yannotti recalled how Smith’s boyfriend- seated next to Smith during the flight- reported her eyes rolling back and her body convulsing. A doctor and nurses onboard administered CPR to Smith in a desperate bid to save her life.
Expressing his grief, Smith’s brother, Chris Volz, remembered her as a doting mother. Unaware of any preexisting conditions that may have contributed to her abrupt health emergency, Volz noted how deeply she loved her two children, an 18-year old son, and a 16-year old daughter, both of whom were equally fond of their mother.