A 16-year-old schoolgirl and aspiring model died suddenly as she slept in her bed, her shattered family has revealed.

Tragic Andressa Santos Monteiro suffered a cardiac arrest at her home in Anapolis, west-central Brazil, on 14th December.

Her grieving aunt, Ana Paula Santos, told local media: “This year, she had seizures. She was hospitalised in July, but she was already better.

“A few days ago she had a seizure at school. Then, unfortunately, she fell ill at home. I’m the mother of my niece’s heart, it hurts so much.”

A friend, who preferred to remain anonymous, also told local media: “We knew that from time to time she had these seizures, but nobody knew what it was.

“It started a little while ago, I think December of last year, but no doctor ever said what it was.”

Andressa was found dead in her bedroom by her horrified grandmother, local media reported.

She was taken to hospital, but medics were only able to pronounce her dead. They gave her cause of death as a cardiac arrest.

Andressa enjoyed gymnastics and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. She was also an aspiring model and had taken part in the beauty pageant Miss Teen Anapolis in 2020.

She had also dreamed of going to university.

She was buried in Anapolis on 15th December.