'I Thought I Lost My Baby': Mum Seeks Action Against Doctor After Toddler Found Alive in Morgue 5 Hours After Death Declaration

An Arizona mother is seeking action against an emergency doctor after her 18-month-old son was declared dead following a swimming pool accident, then discovered breathing in a hospital morgue more than five hours later. The case has raised questions about medical procedures at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center and prompted police to refer the matter to state authorities.

Alexus Fiordilino says she is questioning the treatment her son Vincent received on 8 February 2026. while her lawyer prepares legal action. The family's account has drawn attention to the timing of medical tests and the decision to stop resuscitation, issues now under review by investigators.

Toddler Found Alive in Arizona Morgue

According to reports, Vincent was found face-down in the family's backyard pool during a Super Bowl gathering in Gilbert. Emergency crews performed CPR before taking him to hospital, where Dr Aryan Toosi pronounced him dead at 6.20pm.

His mother recalled believing medical staff could save him. 'I thought I lost my baby and he was back,' she told Arizona's Family in an October interview.

According to Gilbert Police Department records reviewed by ABC15, officers and relatives noticed apparent breathing movements after the declaration. Fiordilino said a family member heard what sounded like breathing while embracing Vincent, but staff described it as normal after resuscitation.

Police body-camera footage also captured an officer raising concerns about a possible pulse, while other witnesses described gasps. Those observations have become central to the family's questions about the initial death declaration.

The child was transferred to a refrigerated room. At approximately 11.52pm, a medical examiner's transporter arrived to collect his body and discovered he was breathing.

Vincent was rushed to Phoenix Children's Hospital. He survived but sustained a hypoxic brain injury, caused by inadequate oxygen reaching the brain. His family says he requires extensive therapy and long-term care. Vincent is home.

Why Vincent's Mother Is Questioning the Doctor

Fiordilino and family lawyer John Brewer are challenging the decision to stop resuscitation and the timing of crucial medical tests. Documents reviewed by Arizona's Family show an arterial blood gas test was ordered at 6.08pm but cancelled. Further samples were collected at 6.11pm, while results reportedly became available at 6.38pm, 18 minutes after Vincent was pronounced dead.

ABC15 reported that Toosi subsequently referred to blood gas results when explaining decisions about temperature checks and warming measures. Brewer questions how those results informed the declaration if they arrived afterwards.

'What made my child not worth saving?' Fiordilino asked in a television interview. Brewer says the family intends to file a civil complaint against the doctor and hospital. Whether different treatment would have prevented Vincent's brain injury has not been established.

What Have Police, the Hospital and Doctor Said?

Gilbert Police said their investigation found insufficient probable cause for criminal conduct by medical personnel, meaning no criminal charges were forwarded. According to reports, the case is being referred to the Arizona Attorney General's Office, which said it had not decided whether to review it.

Dignity Health, which operates Mercy Gilbert, called the situation 'heartbreaking' but declined to discuss individual care, citing patient privacy. Meanwhile, Toosi's lawyer, Scott Holden, said the doctor wished Vincent continued recovery but could not discuss treatment details because of privacy laws and pending litigation.

For Fiordilino, the legal questions remain alongside her son's recovery. 'There isn't a day I don't think about that day,' she said.