Indiana mom Stefanie Smith, 41, who suddenly died on American flight home from ... trends now
Indiana mom Stefanie Smith sipped strawberry mojitos by the pool and enjoyed an 'exquisite' steak dinner at a five-star Caribbean resort the night before she mysteriously died on her flight home, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal.
Smith, 41, and her boyfriend joined close friends Maria Yannotti, 36, and Clay Sharpe, 43, for a five-night stay at the all-inclusive Iberostar Grand Bavaro in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
But the romantic couples' getaway turned to tragedy minutes into her return flight when she started convulsing and was declared dead after the plane diverted to the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Stefanie's stunned family are awaiting the results of a private autopsy to see what could have killed the bubbly X-ray technician from Danville, Indiana, who had no obvious pre-existing medical issues.
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
Smith is pictured with friend Maria Yannotti during their vacation in the Dominican Republic. Yannotti told DailyMail.com that they enjoyed mojitos and steaks on the trip
The couples booked separate rooms at the adults-only Grand Bavaro, a luxurious beachfront retreat boasting three pools, a golf course, private butlers and personal trainers
Yannotti shared a photo from the trip with DailyMail.com. They stayed at the Grand Bavaro, where rooms cost upwards of $690 per night
The mother to heartbroken teens Coen, 18, and Macee, 16, was the picture of health throughout their vacation, using the hotel gym and going for runs along the beach, Maria said.
'Stefanie was a ball of energy and personality. She was so much fun to be around. She could make anyone smile,' the heartbroken gal pal told DailyMail.com.
'What's happened is just devastating for everyone. We don't know if it was just a freak accident or something more. Until we get the autopsy back it's just a complete mystery.'
IUPUI graduate Stefanie and her partner, who has asked not to be named, flew to Punta Cana on February 23, meeting up with Clay and Maria during their connection in Miami.
The couples booked separate rooms at the adults-only Grand Bavaro, a luxurious beachfront retreat boasting three pools, a golf course, private butlers and personal trainers.
The luxe all-inclusive has five fine dining restaurants stocked with high-end liquor brands and house wines from Spain, Chile, Italy and the US, as well as a buffet and '24-hour gourmet station'.
Punta Cana's sun-drenched resorts came under the microscope in 2019 after a spate of American tourists died in unexplained circumstances.
An FBI investigation later revealed there was nothing sinister about the deaths, however, which were all unconnected and put down to natural causes.
'We didn't leave the resort the whole time, there was no need to,' added Maria, who has been several times before to the Grand Bavaro, where rooms cost upwards of $690 per night.
Smith, 41, and her boyfriend (right) joined close friends Maria Yannotti, 36, (third from left) and Clay Sharpe, 43, (left) for a five-night stay at the all-inclusive Iberostar Grand Bavaro in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
The Cheshire Hall Medical Centre in the Turks and Caicos where Smith was pronounced dead
The two women drank socially but not to excess. Maria dismissed any
