Former Miss USA North Dakota died of rare heart condition

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PICTURED: Twin baby girls left to die in sweltering car by their father 'who had been drinking beforehand'

Edwards, originally from Fargo, was crowned Miss North Dakota in 2003
The coroner found that she died of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, a rare disease of the heart muscle

Published: 18:50 EST, 4 August 2016 | Updated: 00:38 EST, 5 August 2016

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A former Miss USA pageant contestant from North Dakota died of a genetic heart condition, an investigation has found.

The Hennepin County medical examiner's office said Thursday that Samantha Edwards died of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy - a rare disease of the heart muscle. The inherited condition causes abnormal heart rhythms.

Edwards was 37 when she was found dead in her home in north Minneapolis on June 14. The medical examiner determined she died of natural causes.

Former Miss North Dakota USA Samantha Edwards was found dead at a Minneapolis home in June. This is her final photograph, taken in March of this year

Samantha Edwards, pictured here when she won the competition in 2003

WHAT IS ARRHYTHMOGENIC CARDIOMYOPATHY

ARVC is an inherited condition, which means that it's passed on through families. It is caused by a change or mutation in one or more genes. The chances of inheriting ARVC vary, and you might inherit the mutation but not develop the condition.

How does it affect your heart?

The cells of the heart muscle are held together by proteins. In people with ARVC, these proteins do not develop properly and so cannot keep the heart muscle cells together. The muscle cells become detached and fatty deposits build up in an attempt to repair the damage.

ARVC usually affects the right side of your heart but it can affect both sides. The changes to the heart muscle mean the walls of the ventricle - one of four chambers in your heart - become thin and stretched. This means your heart doesn’t pump blood around your body properly.

ARVC can also cause abnormal heart rhythms, because your heart’s normal electrical impulses are disrupted as they pass through areas of damaged and scarred muscle cells. It usually takes many years for this to happen so most people are not diagnosed until later in life.

The condition is usually progressive, which means that it will get worse over time.

Source: British Heart Foundation

Edwards, known as Sami, represented North Dakota in the Miss USA pageant in 2003. She had been working as a freelance makeup artist in the Minneapolis area.

Her funeral was held June 24 in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

On her Facebook page, Edwards said she had studied at the University of North Dakota and the Aveda Institute, Minneapolis.

At the time of her death, the Miss USA Facebook page shared a message on Facebook, saying they were 'saddened' to hear about the death of 'one of the most vibrant, energetic, and full-loving titleholders' they've had.

'A conversation with her could either leave you full of adrenaline or utterly exhausted. She was a spitfire and with Sami you never knew what she'd throw your way -- but you ALWAYS knew she would be there for you. She was awesome like that,' wrote her friend Jessica Dereschuk.

She 'was one of the most vibrant, crazy, compassionate, loyal balls of energy you could ever come across in life,' Dereschuk said.

'To Samantha Edwards....I love you so much. You will always be my best friend and I'm still saving you a seat at the wedding,' Dereschuk wrote as part of her tribute to Edwards.

'You left us all way too soon, but in true Diva style, you will have us talking about you forever.....you left a positive mark on this world and in my life and I will continue to live life with passion and love because I know that is what you would want. I will see you again my beautiful friend'.