Investigators in Arizona are examining an extraordinary case involving an 18-month-old boy who was declared dead at a hospital, only to be found alive nearly six hours later in the facility’s morgue.
The child, Vincent Lorenzo Fiordilino, was taken to Mercy Gilbert Medical Center in Gilbert, Arizona, after a near-drowning in his family’s backyard pool on February 8, 2026. According to a police report cited by local media, doctors pronounced him dead at 6:20pm, but hospital workers later discovered he was still breathing in the morgue’s “cold room” at 11:52pm that night.
Authorities say the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office is reviewing the sequence of events at the hospital, while Gilbert police have recommended child abuse charges against the toddler’s parents in connection with the incident that led to the near-drowning.
“The child ultimately survived and has been released from the hospital,” the Gilbert Police Department confirmed in a statement.
Police say the near-drowning happened while the family was gathered at home to watch the Super Bowl. Detectives suspect Vincent may have reached the pool area unnoticed while his parents were distracted. The report also alleges both parents were under the influence of “marijuana and/or other mind altering substances” at the time.
“Both admitted to smoking marijuana the morning of the drowning,” the report reportedly states.
The police report says the physician identified as A. Toosi made the decision to pronounce Vincent dead, even though concerns were raised at the scene. An officer reportedly questioned the call while the child still appeared to be gasping.
“Please do your thing and let me do my thing,” Toosi is quoted as telling the officer. “I went to medical school for a reason.”
According to the report, at 6:13pm Toosi checked his phone, then stepped out to inform Vincent’s parents before returning to the emergency department. At 6:20pm, he officially declared the child dead and asked for a moment of silence.
Even after that, police and Vincent’s parents reportedly continued to notice signs suggesting he was still alive. One detective is said to have heard “another audible gasp” as hospital staff were preparing to transfer the boy to the morgue.
A doctor named Aryan Toosi, affiliated with the hospital, referred NBC News to lawyer Scott Holden for comment, who said there was “much more to this case, both factually and medically, than has been reported thus far.”
Once staff realized Vincent had a heartbeat, he was flown to Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Doctors later found that he had avoided the severe long-term brain damage that had initially been feared, though he still faces a long recovery.
A GoFundMe page created for the family says Vincent is breathing with the aid of a ventilator. The page also says hospital workers have referred to him as “the miracle baby,” and that he is expected to need significant therapy and continued medical supervision.
Mercy Gilbert Medical Center has said it carried out its own internal review of the case, describing the situation as heartbreaking, but it has not released the findings or said whether Toosi remains employed there.