Mother-of-two dies while live streaming video to family on Facebook Live

A mother of two died during a video chat on Facebook Live as members of her family and her friends looked on helplessly.

Keiana Herndon, 26, was holding her one-year-old son, Rylee, as she streamed a conversation on Facebook Live from her friend's house in El Dorado, Arkansas on December 28.

Her aunt Barbara Johnson explained that as she spoke about her dreams of going back to school the young mother began wiping her face and shaking her head, displaying erratic behavior.

"She then, she fell back and then Rylee picked the phone up and started talking and playing and then I hear [gasping noise], then I heard one more ... I didn't hear nothing else," her aunt told KATV.

Herndon's friend was seen on the live stream running into the room and calling 911. The mother-of-two was rushed to the hospital but doctors were unable to save her.

Herndon, who worked as an aide at a rehabilitation centre had over 3,400 Facebook friends however it's not known how many people were watching the video stream when she died.

Friends said that she loved to document her life on social media, but no one could have imagined her tragic end. "Never knew that was going to be the last breath she would take [would be on] on social media live," said Johnson.

Following speculation about the cause of death her family have clarified that her prevailing health conditions were a factor in her tragic death.

"She had thyroid problems. The thyroid messes with everything and it triggered her heart. It's a tragedy, I know that much, and I know one thing, I would love to have my baby back with me," said her mother, Mary Morgan.

While the original video was removed from Facebook, her father, Richard Herndon, said he can't contemplate watching his daughter's last moments. He told Arkansas 4 News: "I don't have the strength to watch it right now."

An autopsy is to be performed to determine cause of death Mail Online reports.

A friend of Herndon has set up a Gofundme to help support her two young boys, Ja'Kylan and Rylee.