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Charlie Comer, 22, was 20 weeks pregnant when she died in her sleep(Image: Carrie Burns)

A family has been left heartbroken after a pregnant mum tragically passed away in her sleep aged just 22.

Charlie Comer was in good health and eagerly anticipating the birth of her second child.

At 20 weeks pregnant, despite some morning sickness she was doing well, according to her mum, 42-year-old Carrie Burns. Charlie had faced “had her issues” in the past, but she had turned things around and significantly improved her mental health.

Carrie shared that Charlie was “flourishing” and couldn’t wait to meet her new baby – who she had already decided to name Arlo. But on October 13, Charlie went to bed and never woke up again.

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Charlie was said to be in good health prior to her unexpected passing(Image: Carrie Burns)

Carrie, a full-time mum, told Devon Live: “My daughter passed away very suddenly, it was totally unexpected. She went to bed on the Sunday night; she hadn’t been feeling too good, and never woke up again.”

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“They couldn’t find any cause in the post-mortem, so we’re waiting now while they run tests and things. We don’t know when the inquest will be, they said weeks, but God knows.

“The post-mortem didn’t reveal anything. Charlie was almost 20 weeks pregnant, and she had a lot of morning sickness. Then on the Sunday, she wasn’t feeling very well; she’d had a chippy the night before, and she assumed the food was a bit dodgy.”

Charlie leaves behind her 18-month-old daughter, Remi. Carrie explained that, due to her young age, Remi doesn’t yet comprehend what’s happened. She went on: “Remi lives with her dad. We see her a few times a week which is nice. She’s very much like her mum, she’s her mum’s double. She’s too young to understand what’s gone on.

“We just have to do what we can for her now. We try to make sure she knows who her mum is and that she loved her so much.”

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Charlie pictured as a child(Image: Carrie Burns)

Following Charlie’s sudden and unexpected death, a post-mortem examination was conducted to determine the cause. Tragically, baby Arlo also passed away, and Carrie was determined to ensure that Arlo remained with his mother.

She explained: “We requested that the baby stay with her. Because she needed the post-mortem, we asked if they could keep the baby intact.

“They sent her to Southampton to have a specialist post-mortem to make sure the baby was kept in Charlie. I’d taken Charlie for a gender scan and we found it was a boy. She was going to call him Arlo.”

For Carrie, the most difficult aspect has been the lack of answers regarding Charlie’s death.

She said: “It’s a real struggle, not knowing what’s caused it and why this has happened. It’s so much harder. If we could make some sense of it, even though there’s no sense in a 20-year-old dying. At least when you know why you can start to process it a bit.

“She’d had her struggles with mental health. She was finally in a place where she was happy and really positive about the future and excited for the baby. She was getting help for her mental health, and she was really flourishing. It was so beautiful to see.

“Charlie was such a bold, vibrant character; she made a huge impact on everyone she met. She loved to make people happy and laugh. She will be so missed by everyone who knew her.

“She was finally becoming the person she’d always wanted to be. It’s heartbreaking to lose her and baby Arlo.”

Carrie has now launched a GoFundMe appeal to cover Charlie’s funeral expenses, raising over £1,800 of their £2,000 goal.