The family of a Minnesota woman who died after falling asleep on her mother’s shoulder on an international flight from the United States to the United Kingdom is speaking out
Rachel Green, a 44-year-old attorney and author, died on April 30, 2025, on a Delta Air Lines flight from Minneapolis to London, according to a GoFundMe started by her family.
Now, British investigators have revealed the possible cause of her death.
Green’s death was likely caused by an undiagnosed heart condition combined with prescription medication, West London Coroner’s Court recently heard. irish sun.
Pathologist Dr. Alan Bates said he found a variety of substances in her blood, including melatonin, antidepressants and small amounts of alcohol, the outlet reported.
Rachel Green, 44, from Minnesota, died earlier this year on a flight from Minneapolis to London (GoFundMe)
Bates also said he found evidence of myocardial tunneling, a condition in which arteries pass through the heart muscle rather than on its surface. irish sun.
Senior coroner Lydia Brown reportedly said Green had taken a “complex range of medications” but there was “no evidence she took an overdose”.
“She also had congenital heart disease. That, along with the medications, contributed to her death,” Brown said.
Green’s sister, Roxanne Carney, reportedly said her heart test results were “abnormal,” but no further investigation was conducted. irish sun. Now she questions why her sister “was never referred to a cardiologist before taking this combination of drugs.”
“Why was she receiving this treatment? Why were they prescribing this combination of drugs?” Carney reportedly said.
She added: “How could you do that, ethically, if you could see all the records?”
Senior coroner Lydia Brown told the court it was common for them to be “scrutinized” in the UK but “the population as a whole does not appear to be subject to such scrutiny”.
“[It is] It’s unusual to find so many different things [drugs]. “Things are handled very differently in the United States,” Brown reportedly said.
Greene traveled to London to complete research for an upcoming work of historical fiction about Eleanor of Aquitaine, an influential medieval queen, her family said on a GoFundMe page. She was described as a “brilliant writer” who loved theatre.
Her family wrote: “Rachel was extremely selfless, always looking out for everyone around her and trying to guide people to the good things in life, whether it was traveling, playing or partying.”
Greene was also just recovering from an “unexpected illness” that forced her to move to her hometown in Minnesota and relearn how to walk.
“Even in the most difficult of times, she exuded unyielding strength and courage,” the GoFundMe page reads.
independent Carney and Delta Air Lines have been contacted for comment.
