A Minnesota woman’s family is speaking out after she died while asleep on her mother’s shoulder during an international flight from the U.S. to the U.K.
Rachel Green, a 44-year-old attorney and writer, died on a Delta Air Lines flight from Minneapolis to London on April 30, 2025, according to a GoFundMe started by her family.
Now, investigators in the U.K. have revealed what likely caused her death.
The West London Coroner’s Court recently heard that Green’s death was likely the result of an undiagnosed heart condition in combination with prescription medications, according to The Irish Sun.
Dr. Alan Bates, a pathologist, said he found multiple substances in her blood, including melatonin, antidepressants and a small amount of alcohol, the outlet reports.
Bates also said he found evidence of myocardial tunneling, a condition in which an artery travels through the heart muscle, rather than on its surface, according to The Irish Sun.
Senior Coroner Lydia Brown reportedly said Green had taken a “range of complex medications,” but there was “no evidence she was taking any in excess.”
“She also had a congenital heart condition. This contributed to her death, along with the medications,” Brown said.
Green’s sister, Roxanne Carney, said she had an “abnormal” heart test that wasn’t investigated further, according to The Irish Sun. Now, she’s questioning why her sister “was never referred to a cardiologist before being prescribed this combination.”
“Why was she on this regimen? Why are they prescribing this combination of medications?” Carney reportedly said.
She added: “If you can see all the records, ethically, how can you do this?”
Senior Coroner Lydia Brown said in court that it is typically “reviewed” in the U.K., but that “the entirety of your population doesn’t seem to have that.”
“[It is] unusual to find so many different [drugs]. Matters are done very differently in the U.S.,” Brown reportedly said.
Green was traveling to London to complete research for an upcoming historical fiction work on Eleanor of Aquitaine, an influential medieval queen, her family said on the GoFundMe page. She was described as a “brilliant writer” who had a keen love of theatre.
“Rachel was beyond selfless, always taking care of everyone around her and trying to guide people to the goodness in life, be it traveling, enjoying a play, or a gathering,” her family wrote.
Green had also just recovered from an “unexpected illness” that forced her to relocate to her hometown in Minnesota and relearn how to walk.
“She exuded unyielding strength and courage at even the most difficult times,” the GoFundMe page reads.
The Independent has contacted Carney and Delta Air Lines for comment.
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