29 years ago, Danielle Easey's earthquake birth was a miracle. This week, she was found dead.

When Danielle Easey was born 29 years ago, her birth was a miracle.

The year was 1989. Her mother, Jennifer Collier, was in labour at Newcastle’s Western Suburbs Hospital when a devastating earthquake struck the city.

You can hear more about Danielle Easey’s tragic death in this news report below. Post continues after video.

As Collier’s contractions came swift and strong, two minutes apart, “the whole room shook”.

But the baby was coming, earthquake or not. So hospital staff wheeled Collier and three other pregnant women out onto the hospital lawns. There, on a mattress in front of onlookers, she gave birth to a healthy baby weighing 3.274 kilograms at a minute past midday, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Baby Danielle was dubbed ‘the quaker’ in honour of her dramatic birth and her name made news headlines around the country.

In 1990, her mother recalled: “I was scared and confused but when Danielle was born I felt nothing but relief that my baby was all right".

This weekend, almost 30 years on, Easey made headlines again after her body was pulled from Cockle Creek on Saturday where she had been found floating, wrapped in plastic.

Her death has been described by detectives as "gruesome" - she sustained significant injuries before being disposed of. Easey, a mother-of-two, was known to police for her involvement in “drug-related activities over the last few weeks” which may or may not be linked to her death.

Before members of the public found her body at 10:30am on Saturday, she was last known to be living in the town of Booragul in Lake Macquarie. More recently, unknown circumstances left Easey homeless and couch surfing at multiple locations around the area.

While more details of how Easey died will continue to unfold, it doesn't diminish the fact a young woman's life has been cut short. She is the 44th murdered woman in Australia this year, according to the Red Heart Campaign.

She'll be remembered as someone's mother, someone's daughter, someone's sister and someone's best mate.

"My heart is broken into pieces right now, I don’t know how to process something like this. I love my sister, my heart is aching for her and for her beautiful children," Easey's sister said.

"You may not be with us anymore but I’ll forever carry you with me and cherish our amazing times and even our down times. I love you so much Danielle, you’re and always will be my best mate."

If this story has raised any issues for you, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. If you are in immediate danger, call 000.