Young dad drops dead aged 25 while on walk with baby daughter

He was discovered face down beside his daughter

Andre Bradshaw, 25, was found lying face-down and unresponsive in the sand on Raumati Beach, 50km north of Wellington on June 28.

He was discovered by a member of the public with his little girl, Skyla, standing by his side.

For the last five months, his family have been in the dark about his cause of death, but new findings have revealed that a medical episode combined with asphyxia by sand caused his death.

Just hours before his death, Bradshaw went to the Wellington Accident and Urgent Medical Centre for pain in his upper back and neck. He was prescribed tramadol to treat the pain.

Himself and baby Skyla set out at around 11:50am for their typical beach walk and said goodbye to Skyla's mum and Bradshaw's partner, Meya Cameron, before leaving.

A post-mortem examination found sand in Bradshaw's windpipe meaning that he was still breathing when he hit the ground.

He had previously suffered from a remote seizure-like conversion disorder and a nerve condition believed to be released to complex regional pain syndrome.

Dr Melinek also discovered excess fluid in Bradshaw's lungs.

It's now believed that Bradshaw's cardiovascular disease and seizure-like disorder led to a medical episode which caused him to collapse and choke on the sand.

There were also three "flu-like" viruses in his blood which could have further contributed to him falling to the ground.