An 18-month-old boy declared dead after a near-drowning in Gilbert, Arizona, on February 8 was found alive hours later in the hospital morgue, officials said. The toddler, Vincent Lorenzo Fiordilino, was pronounced dead at Dignity Health Mercy Gilbert Medical Center before being discovered breathing during a routine body collection by the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s office.
Emergency crews were dispatched around 5:35 p.m. on February 8, 2026, to a home near East Chandler Heights and South Higley roads in Gilbert, Arizona, after an 18-month-old boy, Vincent Lorenzo Fiordilino, was found unresponsive in a backyard pool. According to police records and 911 audio, Vincent had been floating face-down in the pool for an estimated 10 to 15 minutes before family members pulled him out and began CPR. He was transported to Dignity Health Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, where at approximately 6:20 p.m., ER physician Dr. Aryan Toosi pronounced him dead, according to Gilbert police reports and media summaries.
At 11:52 p.m., about five and a half hours after the death pronouncement, a Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s transporter arrived to collect Vincent’s body and found him breathing inside the hospital morgue.
Despite the pronouncement, multiple observations of possible signs of life were documented. Police reports describe a nurse detecting a pulse and a female officer reporting gasps while the child was being moved toward or kept in the hospital’s cold room, commonly known as the morgue. One Gilbert police officer wrote in a report reviewed by ABC15 that the baby was pronounced dead “in error” by Dr. Toosi after a tense exchange over whether a pulse was present. Nevertheless, hospital and police documentation note that the child’s body was moved to the morgue, and the cold room door was closed at 7:23 p.m.
This discovery prompted immediate emergency transfer. Vincent was flown to Phoenix Children’s Hospital for emergency pediatric care. Gilbert police confirmed the child survived and was discharged from hospital care, though he sustained significant neurological injury.
Medical evaluations, including MRI scans, reported that Vincent suffered severe brain damage and will likely require lifelong medical care, according to investigative and secondary reporting. Some sources indicated the brain injury could result in long-term functional impairments such as balance issues, while doctors expressed cautious hope that the child’s young brain might partially compensate over time. However, one account summarizing family statements suggested no major brain damage was visible on imaging, only a small area of bruising, presenting a more optimistic outlook. Gilbert police and hospital-related statements consistently described Vincent as “expected to survive,” but detailed information on his current developmental status remains limited in public records.
The Gilbert Police Department opened a criminal investigation into the near-fatal drowning and the circumstances surrounding the erroneous death pronouncement and morgue transfer. Police recommended a single felony count of child abuse against Vincent’s parents to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, citing the supervision and circumstances that allowed the toddler to be unattended in the pool for 10 to 15 minutes. As of early July 2026, no criminal charges had been filed against Dr. Toosi, and no civil lawsuit related to the misdiagnosis or morgue placement had been publicly filed. The family’s legal counsel declined to comment when contacted. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office was reported to be reviewing the case based on police recommendations, but no public charging decisions had been announced.
Dignity Health Mercy Gilbert Medical Center provided a written statement to local media saying, “Out of respect for the patient’s privacy, we cannot discuss details… Patient safety and exceptional care is our highest priority,” and that the hospital was working with the family and their representative. The hospital’s brief statement came amid scrutiny following the sequence of events documented by police and media reports.
The case also involved the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office, whose transporter discovered the toddler breathing in the morgue. The incident has drawn attention to protocols for confirming death, especially in pediatric drowning and potential hypothermia cases, where careful assessment and resuscitation efforts are critical. An experienced Arizona ER doctor, Dr. Frank LoVecchio, commented publicly that such a scenario is “somewhat hard to believe,” suggesting that hypothermia and missing clinical information may have contributed to the missed signs of life.
The Gilbert Police Department continues to investigate the incident, and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office is evaluating potential criminal charges. Vincent’s case highlights the complexities involved in medical assessments following near-drowning incidents and the importance of thorough verification before pronouncing death.
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