They Thought Toddler Had Drowned—Till a Visit to Morgue

A medical mystery has unfolded in suburban Phoenix. NBC News reports that an 18-month-old boy who'd been pulled from a backyard pool in February was pronounced dead at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center—then discovered breathing in the hospital morgue more than five hours later, according to a police report. The child, identified on a crowdfunding page as Vincent Lorenzo Fiordilino, survived and has since been released from the hospital, Gilbert police say, though he remains on a ventilator and faces long-term therapy.

Both the child's parents and cops in the ER when Vincent was declared dead on Feb. 8 reportedly expressed concerns that the toddler was still breathing, but a nurse told them it was merely "agonal" breathing, a type of gasping that's not true breathing. The near drowning and hours that followed are now under review by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office and the hospital. Police have recommended child abuse charges against Vincent's parents, citing their admission that they smoked marijuana the morning of the incident and suggesting their judgment may have been impaired while watching the Super Bowl.

The New York Post has audio of two 911 calls that came in on Feb. 8. "I just found my nephew in the pool," one emotional male caller says. Mercy Gilbert says only that it investigated the "heartbreaking situation" and wouldn't reveal whether the doctor who called the time of death—identified in the report as Dr. A. Toosi—remains on staff, per NBC. Through an attorney, Toosi declined to comment in detail, saying there's "much more" to the case than has been reported.