Man quizzed over unborn baby death

A man arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was found fatally injured in a street is now being questioned over the death of her unborn baby after it emerged she was heavily pregnant, police have confirmed.

Eystna Blunnie was taken to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, after being discovered in Howard Way in the town shortly before 3am on Wednesday.

The 20-year-old, from Halling Hill, Harlow, died at the hospital. It has now emerged she was due to give birth within days.

A spokesman for Essex Police said: "Eystna was heavily pregnant at the time of her death. She was due to give birth to a baby girl in the next few days. As a result, the man is also being questioned in relation to the death of Eystna's unborn daughter."

A post-mortem examination found Ms Blunnie died of multiple head and facial injuries.

A 23-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder. Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact detectives at Harlow's Major Investigation Team on 101.

Ms Blunnie's current profile picture on Facebook features a recent ultrasound scan. She told friends she "could not wait" to be a mother and added: "Only 17 days and counting."

Floral tributes have been left near the spot where she was found. Mourners described her as a "bubbly, larger than life" girl who was always surrounded by friends.

Her parents, Kevin and Susan Blunnie, said in a statement: "We hope that you will understand that we have suffered a tragic loss to our family. Our daughter and granddaughter have been taken from us in such a tragic and horrific way.

"We can't begin to explain how we feel. Eystna was a wonderful and loving daughter who was looking forward to the birth of her first child. Sadly this will no longer be. We hope that everyone will understand the sadness in our hearts and let us mourn our sadness of the passing of our loved ones. We would also like to thank everyone for their support to our family at this very sad time."