American Lawyer On UK-Bound Flight Dozed Off On Her Mom's Shoulder, Later Found Dead

Last Updated:January 28, 2026, 17:08 IST

Minnesota attorney Rachel Green died in her sleep on a flight to Heathrow on April 30, 2025, due to an undiagnosed heart condition and medication, leaving her family bereaved.

Minnesota attorney Rachel Green (New York Post /X)

A 44-year-old American lawyer had dozed off on her mother’s shoulder to catch a quick sleep but was later found dead.

According to a report by The Sun, Minnesota attorney Rachel Green was on the flight to Heathrow from Minneapolis to conduct research for a novel she was writing when she fell asleep on her mother’s shoulder on April 30, 2025, and tragically “never woke up," a West London Coroners Court heard this week.

The cabin crew informed the court that they had attempted to wake the woman up but she could not be roused. An announcement was even made asking if there was a doctor on board but tragically Rachel could not be saved, they said.

The court was also informed that Rachel had a cocktail of prescription drugs in her system and she was found to have an undiagnosed heart condition, which, combined with the medication, likely caused her death.

Senior Coroner Lydia Brown said: “This lady simply died whilst on a flight. She was coming to our country to do some research, staying for some time with her mother. Instead, she did not even get off the plane without her mother and sister being bereaved. Poor Rachel never did [finish] that book. I wish it were different; it is not."

The Sun quoted pathologist Dr Alan Bates informing the inquest her heart was “normal" other than one of her coronary arteries being covered by myocardial tunnelling. This condition means a section of an artery travels underneath the heart muscle, instead of on its surface.

Following the death, Rachel’s sister, Roxanne Carney, paid tribute to her in a statement, calling her “a saint" and “the best aunt in the world" to her son, Jack.

“‘On April 30th, 2025, we lost an angel on earth and gained one in heaven. My beloved sister and friend to so many, Rachel S. Green, passed away peacefully in her sleep as she was flying from Minneapolis to London for a much-anticipated trip to the UK," she said. ‘Rachel had spent the past couple of years recovering from an unexpected illness, relearning to walk, and having to relocate back to her hometown in Minnesota to recuperate."

News world American Lawyer On UK-Bound Flight Dozed Off On Her Mom's Shoulder, Later Found Dead

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