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Pregnant teen dies after shoveling snow, family says

Posted at 11:53 AM, Jan 25, 2016
and last updated 2016-01-25 14:44:20-05

POTTSTOWN, Pa. -- Friends and family are mourning a pregnant teen who died after shoveling snow outside her home.

A family member told WCAU that 18-year-old Briahna Gerloff collapsed after shoveling snow outside her home at about 9 a.m Saturday.

"I told her it probably wasn't a good idea for her to be outside shoveling," a family member, who was not identified, told WCAU. "She wanted to do it anyway."

The family member said he went across the street to take a break while Gerloff went back inside. When the family member returned the front door was locked.

He entered the house through the basement door, and after searching for Gerloff throughout the house, the family member entered the kitchen where he found her unresponsive on the floor.

A neighbor helped him with CPR but once the police and ambulance arrived to the scene, Gerloff's family learned that Briahna and her baby had died.

Family members say Gerloff was 8 months pregnant and suffered from several heart defects, including Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

A childhood friend told WCAU Briahna’s mother passed away three years ago. The friend set up a GoFundMe page to help with the family’s funeral costs.

Police have not yet determined a cause of death. The investigation is ongoing.