A baby girl died after her mother laid on her while she was drunk.

Emergency services rushed to the Liverpool home after lodgers found the lifeless body of the baby on a sofa. 

Despite the best efforts of paramedics four-month-old Mija Krupaityte was pronounced dead at Alder Hey Children's Hospital a short while after.

It was later discovered that the girl's mother Milda Stucinskaite was the equivalent of four times over the legal drink-drive limit – meaning she was in the range of extreme intoxication to unconsciousness – when the baby was found.

The girl's dad, who was slumped in an armchair, was the equivalent of 2.5 times over the drink-drive limit, the Liverpool Echo reported.

Toxicology reports found the Lithuanian born couple had both recently smoked cannabis.

At an inquest, coroner Lisa McElvogue said a lodger living at the address claimed both parents were drinking and that they passed Milda a bottle of milk.

She started to feed the baby with it and the lodger, along with another man living at the address, went out to get a pizza.

When they came back 45 minutes later they found Milda lying over the baby on the sofa, partially covering her body.

The dad was asleep in his armchair.

The lodger woke the parents and started performing CPR on her, while the mum ran into the street, knocking on doors and begging neighbours for help.

Two health care assistants who were making visits nearby rushed in with neighbours and attempted to revive the child.

Paramedics took over CPR when they arrived, but it proved too late.

Mija was declared dead at hospital, less than an hour after the first call to the emergency services was made.

According to witnesses, factory worker dad Audrius said: "It's my fault. I fell asleep and woke up and she was on the floor."

Mum Milda was reported to have said: "I sat on the baby."

Both parents assisted with the investigation and allowed their blood alcohol levels to be tested.

The 32-year-olds were arrested by police on suspicion of causing or allowing the death of a child, but they were both later released.

Giving evidence at the inquest at Liverpool Coroners' Court, Dr Jonathan Metcalfe, a Home Office-registered forensic pathologist, said there were no suspicious injuries on the baby's body and she appeared healthy.

He added: "It is well-recognised that a baby can be smothered without leaving any signs whatsoever on the body. The lack of any physical injuries does not contradict the events as described by the witnesses.

"Both parents were significantly intoxicated with alcohol at the time Mija died, with an extremely high blood alcohol level in the mother."

Dr Metcalfe said that although it was not possible to completely rule out cot death or sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) as the cause of Mija's death, it was more likely it was caused by the mum lying on top of her while they were on the settee together.

He added: "Sleeping with babies on sofas is considered unsafe, as it can cause death in a number of ways, including obstruction of the mouth and nose and preventing breathing."

The likely cause of death was judged to be asphyxia and 'over-laying' by an intoxicated adult.

Senior coroner Andre Rebello said that if the cause of death had been beyond a reasonable doubt, he would have considered a conclusion of unlawful killing.

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