Miracle Baby: Toddler Rescued from Morgue After Being Pronounced Dead
Toddler found gasping for air in morgue – In a remarkable turn of events that has captured national attention, an 18-month-old boy was discovered breathing in a hospital morgue after medical staff had already declared him dead. The little boy, who had been pulled from a swimming pool, was found unresponsive during what was supposed to be a celebratory Super Bowl gathering in a Phoenix neighborhood.
The Discovery That Changed Everything
Vincent Lorenzo Fiordilino was discovered lying face down in the water on February 8, according to a newly released police report. The toddler had been left in the pool while adults at the gathering believed someone else was supervising him. The house was reportedly full of grown-ups at the time, with each person convinced another adult was keeping an eye on the child.
After being rushed to Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, Vincent was examined by several medical professionals. However, his true condition remained undetected until he had been resting in the hospital’s cold storage room for several hours. The exact sequence of events during those critical moments remains unclear, as the boy’s medical records have been partially redacted.
Voices of Concern Were Overlooked
According to the police report, Vincent’s parents had insisted their son was still breathing, believing he was “gasping for air” even after being declared dead. Their concerns were not the only ones raised. Two police officers stationed at the hospital and a nurse had also questioned whether the toddler was actually breathing.
One of the officers claimed hearing a nurse say ‘I have a pulse’ moments before the doctor declared him dead.
The report indicates that officers who heard an “audible gasp” informed hospital staff, who labeled the phenomenon as “agonal breathing”—a condition where gases and air leave the body after death. Despite these warnings, the medical team proceeded with their assessment.
The Doctor’s Decision
Doctor A. Toosi, named in the report, was preparing to stop life-saving measures when one of the officers mentioned the nurse’s comment about a pulse. According to the police report, the doctor allegedly responded “arrogantly,” stating that “he was the doctor, he has the medical degree, he went to medical school for a reason, and to let him do his thing.”
Doctor Toosi then asked if there were any objections to calling the time of death. No one in the room spoke out. He requested another pulse check before officially declaring Vincent dead. The timeline shows Vincent was found at 6:20 PM on Super Bowl Sunday and discovered alive at 11:52 PM, creating an almost six-hour gap between discovery and the morgue finding.
A Long Road to Recovery
It was a medical transporter who eventually found Vincent breathing in the cold morgue room. The toddler was immediately airlifted to a children’s hospital for specialized care. A fundraiser established in February to help with his recovery and medical costs describes his journey as “a long road to recovery with ICU, MRIs, organ support and therapy.”
Now nicknamed the “Miracle baby,” Vincent has been named locally as Vincent Lorenzo Fiordilino. The family has stated through an attorney that their son, now 22 months old, will require “lifelong care” according to ABC News.
Investigation and Accountability
Mercy Gilbert Medical Center announced last week that it has conducted its own internal investigation into the incident. The hospital did not respond to NBC News inquiries about whether the doctor involved continues to work there.
The police report also addresses the circumstances that allowed Vincent to access the pool. It claims that after the parents smoked cannabis, they failed to secure the garage doors, enabling the toddler to reach the water. The report further alleges that the parents did not properly supervise their son.
The county attorney’s office is currently reviewing the case, and no decision has been made regarding potential charges against the parents. Doctor Toosi’s attorney, Scott Holden, issued a statement explaining that due to a possible case against the parents and patient confidentiality concerns, he cannot provide a complete statement. However, he assured the public that “there is much more to this case, both factually and medically, than has been reported thus far.”
Through their legal representative, the family declined to comment on the possibility of a criminal case, focusing instead on their son’s ongoing recovery journey and the support they need during this challenging time.
