Mystery surrounding death of 'healthy' Indiana mother, 41, on board American Airlines flight home from Dominican Republic

An Indiana doctor is flying to the Caribbean in a bid to find out why a happy and healthy mom-of-two died suddenly on a flight home from a dream vacation.

Stefanie Smith, 41, was returning from the Dominican Republic with her unknown boyfriend and another couple when she fell fatally ill just minutes into flight 2790 from Punta Cana to Charlotte, North Carolina.

The American Airlines plane was diverted to the Turks and Caicos islands as CPR was performed, but Smith was declared dead after being taken to hospital.

'Everyone's in shock, just waiting for news,' her brother Chris Volz told the New York Post 'there are still a lot of unknowns.'

The IUPUI graduate worked as an X-ray technician at OrthoIndy Hospital in Indianapolis, and her sudden death has devastated friends and colleagues.

Stefanie Smith, 41, was just minutes into the American Airlines flight home from the Dominican Republic when she became fatally ill from an unknown cause on February 28 

A Gofundme appeal has raised $78,000 for her teenage children Coen and Macee

Friend and colleague Kristina Swinney (left) said Smith 'wouldn't let anyone have a bad day'

'I can't remember the last time I've felt heartache like this,' wrote friend Kristina Swinney on Facebook.

'Looking to my left today, seeing you gone, knowing you aren't coming back has left me a mess, Stef.

'The news today has shattered us.'

A Gofundme appeal to raise money for her two teenage children Coen and Macee had raised $78,000 as of Wednesday morning, including contributions from passengers who were on her last fatal flight.

'I didn't know Stefanie but I was in the row in front of her,' wrote Erika Remillard-Hagen.

'When I was 41 my own two children were the same age hers are. My heart breaks for her family.'

Swinney, a fellow medic at OrthoIndi Hospital, wrote of the impact her friend made on the lives of those she knew.   

'Today we talked about how you wouldn't let anyone have a bad day,' she said on Facebook, 'you weren't having any part of it.

'I will miss the 'Hi honey!' morning greeting, you playing with my hair, hearing about the latest dateline story, our country karaoke, shots of Diet Coke and sticking my cold hands down your hot back,' she added.

The two children, pictured in September last year, are now in the care of their father Eric 

'She gave her very best every day for you' Swinney told her children, 'know that your mom would want you to accomplish your goals and always strive to be better versions of yourself'

Dad Eric Smith, pictured with Stefanie in 2020 is now looking after the children 

Stefanie and Eric on holiday together in 2020 

The Cheshire Hall Medical Centre in the Turks and Caicos where Smith was pronounced dead 

'You were the energy of work.'

'The docs that work in that room will be suffering big time,' added colleague Linda Kulikowski.

'She, single handedly, made them at ease enough to show their true personalities. I know they didn't just look forward to working with her, but so loved the relationships she developed with each of them.

'I truly hope she realized her impact.'

First responders met the aircraft on the tarmac when it arrived at Providenciales International Airport, and The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands released more details in a statement on their Facebook page.

'At 6.12 pm, the Police Control Room received a call from the Air Traffic Control Tower requesting medical assistance for a 41-year-old female, who at the time was receiving Cardiopulmonary resuscitation,' they wrote.

'A medical team, along with police units, were dispatched, and the patient was transported to Cheshire Hall Medical Centre, where she died.'

Sister-in-law Stephanie Quinn described her as the only girl out of five siblings and the mother of two 'beautiful children with big hearts and straight As'. 

'We are in disbelief and our hearts are broken,' she added. 

Smith was chatting happily as she boarded the flight, according to fellow passengers.

'I had a chance to see your sister-in-law and her husband/companion board and shared a laugh,' wrote Melanie McAuley Glab, 'I'm so very sorry for your loss!' 

Smith had gone through a divorce recently from husband Eric, the father of their two children. 

Coen and Macee are being looked after by their dad and other family members as they try to reckon with their grief.

'She gave her very best every day for you and worked her butt off to make sure to provide for you both,' Swinney wrote.

'This GoFundMe won't ease your pain, but moving forward, know that your mom would want you to accomplish your goals and always strive to be better versions of yourself.'

Volz said that no-one in the family was aware of his sister having any pre-existing conditions before she flew down to the Caribbean on February 24.

He said he could not 'believe it's true', after learning of her death from his parents on Wednesday night, saying that everything appeared to be in 'slow motion'.

He told the Post that his sister regularly called him because she 'always wanted to affirm her love'.

The airline said that the flight continued its journey to Charlotte the following day. 

'Looking to my left today, seeing you gone, knowing you aren't coming back has left me a mess, Stef' wrote her friend Kristina Swinney

Some of Stefanie's family in the last shot she posted to Facebook before her death

The family is sending its own doctor to the Caribbean to conduct an autopsy before her body is brought back to Indianapolis for a celebration-of-life ceremony on Sunday.

'The love she shared with Coen and Macee cannot be measured or described in words,' fundraiser Kristi Spratt wrote on the appeal page.

'Also, her endless love for her family, friends and community will leave a lasting impact on all who had the privilege of knowing her.

'Stefanie will be so deeply missed by every single person who knew her, and we pray that the memory of her kind soul will live on forever.'