DELRAN — A Burlington County woman has been sentenced to four years in state prison for the accidental killing of her newborn son in 2015.

A relative showed up at Melissa Johnson's house in February 2015 and found the woman asleep on the couch with her three-month-old son partially wedged underneath her, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said. He also said Johnson had been drinking alcohol for several hours before falling asleep.

The infant died as a result of being accidentally asphyxiated, according to the medical examiner.

Johnson, 39, pleaded guilty to second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

“This is a heartbreaking and tragic occurrence for everybody involved," Coffina said. “But justice demands accountability for such actions, and in this case that includes a sentence involving incarceration.”

Earlier this year, Burlington County saw a different case involving a mother charged in connection with the accidental death of her young son.

In January, Antoinette King was arrested after fatally passing out on top of her 13-month old son. An autopsy said the child died of compression asphyxia, the Courier-Post reported.

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