A toddler found in a backyard pool in a Phoenix suburb in February was initially declared deceased but was later discovered to be alive hours afterward in a hospital morgue, as revealed in recently released police documents.
According to the records, two officers from the Gilbert Police Department observed signs that the child might still be alive, yet the child was transported to the hospital’s morgue after receiving treatment. One officer documented a conversation with Dr. Aryan Toosi, who expressed the need to proceed with medical protocols, stating, “Please do your thing and let me do my thing. I went to medical school for a reason.”
Emergency responders arrived at the residence around 5:30 p.m. on February 8 due to reports of a drowning incident. They performed resuscitation efforts before taking the child to a local hospital, where he was declared dead approximately an hour later. In footage obtained from a police body camera, a doctor can be heard requesting to officially declare the time of death, stating, “Time of death 18:20. Moment of silence.”
However, about five hours later, authorities were informed that the boy was breathing, prompting his transfer to another medical facility by air. Ultimately, the child survived and has since been discharged.
The Gilbert Police Department is recommending that the parents face charges of negligence. Investigators indicated that there was a noticeable smell of marijuana in the home and that doors were left open, potentially allowing the child unsupervised access to the pool. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office is currently reviewing the case but has not provided additional comments.
During 911 calls, two relatives frantically reported the incident, stating that the child had been rescued from the pool while others at the scene were heard screaming. One caller mentioned that the toddler was unconscious.
When an Associated Press photographer visited the home on Monday, no one answered the door.
In a statement, Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, where the 18-month-old was treated, indicated that it is conducting a comprehensive review of the care provided to identify improvements. The hospital described the situation as “heartbreaking” but refrained from disclosing further details.
According to police reports, when a team from the local medical examiner’s office entered the designated cold room, they found the boy breathing and promptly transported him to another hospital.
Scott Holden, the attorney representing Dr. Toosi, stated that he would not provide a comprehensive comment on behalf of the doctor, but assured that there are additional factual and medical elements to the case that have yet to be disclosed.
A GoFundMe campaign launched in February to assist the boy’s family with medical expenses identified the toddler as Vincent Lorenzo Fiordilino, noting that he would require extensive therapy. The page expressed gratitude for the support received, calling Vincent a “miracle fighter.” As of now, the GoFundMe has raised approximately $20,000, stating that “doctors are taking things slowly, allowing Vincent’s body to guide the pace of his recovery.”
The initial report of this incident came from KNXV-TV, an ABC affiliate based in Phoenix.
There have been other documented instances of individuals being found alive after being declared dead. For example, in 2024, a 74-year-old woman pronounced dead at a Nebraska nursing home was later found breathing at a funeral home. In another case from 2023, a 66-year-old woman was discovered alive at a funeral home after being declared dead at an Iowa nursing facility.
In 2020, in Southfield, Michigan, Timesha Beauchamp, a 20-year-old with cerebral palsy, was declared dead by a doctor over the phone following a 911 call. Later that day, a funeral home discovered her alive and gasping for air when they opened the body bag. Although she was taken to a hospital, she did not recover and passed away two months later. The city later settled a negligence lawsuit from her family for $3.25 million.
Though it is uncommon, cases where individuals are mistakenly declared dead only to later be found alive do occur, according to Dr. Judy Melinek, a forensic pathologist in San Francisco not involved in this case. She noted that such instances are more frequently observed in elderly patients than in children or toddlers. Dr. Melinek explained that the criteria for death include the absence of heartbeat, breathing, and neurological activity, adding that there are instances where individuals exhibit very shallow or intermittent breathing, requiring medical professionals to take additional time before making a declaration of death. She emphasized that accurate determination of death relies on a doctor’s expertise, and hospital policies may vary significantly.
