The family of a Minnesota woman is speaking out after she died while sleeping on her mother’s shoulder during an international flight from the US to the UK
Rachel Green, a 44-year-old lawyer 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 United Kingdom have revealed what likely caused her death.
West London Coroner’s Court recently heard that Green’s death was likely the result of an undiagnosed heart condition combined with prescription drugs, according to The Irish Sun.
Dr. Alan Bates, a pathologist, said he found several substances in her blood, including melatonin, antidepressants and a small amount of alcohol, the outlet reports.
Rachel Green, 44, from Minnesota, died while flying from Minneapolis to London earlier this year (GoFundMe)
Bates also said he found evidence of myocardial tunneling, a condition in which an artery travels through the heart muscle, rather than over its surface, according to The Irish Sun.
Senior Coroner Lydia Brown reportedly said Green had taken “an array of complex medications,” but there was “no evidence she was taking anything extra.”
“She also had a congenital heart condition. This contributed to her death, along with the medications,” said Brown.
Green’s sister, Roxanne Carney, said she had an “abnormal” heart test that was not investigated further, according to The Irish Sun. Now, she is wondering why her sister “was never referred to a cardiologist before she was given this combination.”
“Why was she on this course? Why are they prescribing this combination of drugs?” Carney reportedly said.
She added: “If you can see all the records, ethically, how can you do that?”
Senior Coroner Lydia Brown told the court that it is typically “overlooked” in the UK, but that “the whole of your population doesn’t seem to have it.”
“[It is] it is unusual to find so many different [drugs]. Things are done very differently in the United States,” Brown said.
Green was traveling to London to complete research for an upcoming work of historical fiction about Eleanor of Aquitaine, an influential medieval queen, her family said on the GoFundMe page. She was described as a “brilliant writer” who had a great love for the theatre.
“Rachel was beyond selfless, always caring for everyone around her and trying to guide people to the goodness in life, whether traveling, enjoying a play, or meeting,” 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 unbridled strength and courage even in the most difficult of times,” reads the GoFundMe page.
The Independent contacted Carney and Delta Air Lines for comment.