The baby girl delivered by emergency cesarean section at The Westerly Hospital Tuesday, after her mother was killed in a car accident on Interstate 95 in Stonington, died late Wednesday night at Women & Infants Hospital in Providence, according to a hospital spokeswoman Thursday.

"We are saddened today to report that Maya Christiana Brown, the newborn daughter of the late Alexandra L. Brown, passed away last night at Women & Infants Hospital surrounded by her loving family," said Amy Blustein, spokeswoman at the hospital.

Brown, 26, was driving on I-95 south in Stonington when her car hit a metal guardrail and rolled over several times, and she was ejected. After her daughter was delivered, the baby was rushed to Women & Infants.

Brown also leaves behind two children, 7-year-old Jayden and 4-year-old Zariah.

Friends and family of Brown remember her as a loving mother with an infectious laugh. They said she was hardworking, opting to work third-shift at a local nursing home so she could be with her children during the day.

Friend Lia Cotto said she spent almost every weekend with Brown and saw her most recently on Saturday.

Cotto said Brown was a certified nursing assistant at Fairview in Groton and was taking online courses so she could become a registered nurse.

"She worked 11 at night to 7 in the morning because she didn't want to miss quality time with her children," Cotto said. "Her kids were her life. They were her everything."

Cotto said Brown was always laughing and would always tell jokes.

"Anybody that knew her would say the same thing: She was a great person," Cotto said.

Taylor Plunkett, godmother to Jayden, said Brown's children are coping as best as can be expected. Plunkett said she is encouraging the children to talk about their mother and share the memories they have of her.

"She was an amazing mother," Plunkett said.

Plunkett said Brown was also there for anyone who was in need. When Plunkett's mother died in 2009, Brown was one of the first people to be on hand and provide her comfort.

She said Brown was a great storyteller. She would captivate her audience with her expressive eyes and hand gestures.

"She just always could make you laugh," said Plunkett. 

Lisa Richardson, the paternal grandmother of Zariah, said Brown was like a daughter to her. She said that even though Brown and her son, Herbie Bonneau, were no longer together, they still remained close, and Bonneau took on a father-figure role to Jayden.

"She was awesome," Richardson said. "She was wonderful. She would think more of others than herself."

Richardson said she will always consider Brown as family and will do her best to keep her memory alive.

Nina Bills, founder of Babies Heart Run, said she was contacted Wednesday by a friend of Brown's who requested that a care package be sent to the family because the baby at the time was in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

The organization helps parents with expenses while their newborns are receiving intensive medical care.

Bills said even though the baby died, the Brown family will still receive the package, which consists of gift cards totaling from $1,000 to $1,500.

"It's always an emotional thing for me whenever I get a request because we had a child in the NICU," Bills said. "...But this really hit home for me because I'm pregnant now and can't even imagine what they are going through. It's horrible. I hope this can bring some amount of comfort."

Two GoFundMe pages have been created to help cover Brown's funeral expenses and her children's future needs. They can be found at

http://www.gofundme.com/vzw76fb4 and http://www.gofundme.com/xyv6ru7c.  

i.larraneta@theday.com

Twitter: @larraneta