Alina Roberts with son, Benjamin, who was found cuddling her body (Picture: Raymonds)

A toddler was found cuddled up to his pregnant mother nearly 24 hours after she died suddenly at the wheel.

Alina Roberts, a primary school teacher, collapsed as she made her way home with her two-year-old son Benjamin following a visit to a petting zoo.

Her husband of nine months, Alex, raised the alarm when they failed to return home. Police later found Mrs Roberts dead in her car, which was parked in a residential street in Long Eaton, Derbyshire.

Benjamin had wriggled out of his car seat and was discovered cuddling up to her body.


Mrs Roberts, 33, was 22 weeks pregnant when she died three miles from her home.



MORE: Footballer dies three days after freak accident following tackle

MORE: Family of disabled boy win at least £14.6million for NHS negligence

Mr Roberts said: ‘It’s devastating to know she won’t be able to see Benjamin growing up and what should have been our bigger family. I will miss living our lives together and sharing those experiences with her.

‘I was supposed to go with them but at the last moment I said I would stay and do some tidying up. We had a kiss and a cuddle when they left. After about an hour, I sent her a text message asking if they were having fun.

‘It was about 3.30pm when she replied to say she was coming back in 10 minutes.

‘After a while, I tried phoning her but it went straight to answer phone. Eventually, I went out in the car and drove the route I thought she would have taken but I couldn’t find her.’

Police said Mrs Roberts death in mid-February was not being treated as suspicious and the coroner has started an investigation.