Wis. Officer Dies After Giving Birth to Twins

Stacie Napoli, who served in Iraq and was a 17-year veteran of the West Allis (Wis.) Police Department, died Monday just moments after giving birth to twins, reports the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel .

Napoli, 39, died of a pulmonary embolism — a sudden blockage of a major blood vessel in the lungs, usually by a blood clot — after giving birth by Caesarean section at West Allis Memorial Hospital, according to a medical examiner's report.

As word spread, the department was inundated with condolences and offers of support. A special fund to help the family had already raised more than $20,000 by Tuesday evening. Many donors had never met Napoli, but were heartbroken.

The twins, Parker and Ellie, are in intensive care but doing well, said Napoli's mother. Ellie weighed 2 pounds 4 ounces; Parker weighed 1 pound 15 ounces, she said.