Montgomery County

Candlelight Vigil for Pregnant Teen Who Died After Shoveling

A memorial was held Saturday for a pregnant teen who died after shoveling snow outside her Montgomery County home during the blizzard.

A candlelight vigil took place Saturday around 5 p.m. for 18-year-old Briahna Gerloff in Pottstown.

A family member told NBC10 Gerloff collapsed after shoveling snow outside her Pottstown home during the blizzard on Jan. 23.

Family members said Gerloff was eight months pregnant and suffered from several heart defects, including Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW), a disorder caused by an abnormal accessory electrical conduction pathway between the atria and the ventricles.

Her unborn baby girl, whom she named Kayliana, also did not survive.

"She was so excited to be a mom," said Briahna's aunt Margaret Greiss. "She had everything. She looked forward every single day to wake up just to feel Kayliana kick." 

Police have not yet determined a cause of death. Authorities have not linked her death to shoveling.

The investigation is ongoing.

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