'HE WAS STILL BREATHING': Arizona mother speaks out after toddler found alive in hospital morgue

CALGARY — An Arizona mother is speaking out after her 18-month-old son was discovered alive in a hospital morgue more than five hours after doctors pronounced him dead, raising questions about the medical decisions that left the toddler without treatment for hours.Alexus Fiordilino said she believed her son, Vincent, was still breathing when she hugged him goodbye at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center on February 8, but medical staff assured her the movements were involuntary gasps associated with dying.More than eight months later, Fiordilino is questioning whether her son's life-altering injuries could have been prevented.In an interview with NBC News published Wednesday, Fiordilino recalled the moment she and her husband, Angelo, learned their son was still alive."My husband and I just screamed in relief," she said. "We were praising the Lord. We were crying. To go from hearing he was gone and then finding out he isn't gone, it's an unexplainable feeling."The incident began on Super Bowl Sunday when Vincent was discovered floating face-down in the family's backyard swimming pool in Gilbert, Arizona.Emergency responders performed CPR before transporting the toddler to Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, where medical staff continued efforts to revive him..According to police records obtained by NBC News, emergency physician Dr. Aryan Toosi pronounced Vincent dead at approximately 6:20 p.m., just 16 minutes after he arrived at the hospital.However, officers and family members reported observing apparent signs of breathing after the declaration.A detective documented hearing another gasp around 7:18 p.m. as hospital employees prepared to move Vincent into a refrigerated room used as the morgue.Medical staff reportedly explained the movements as agonal breathing, which can occur during the dying process and does not necessarily indicate effective breathing or circulation.At approximately 7:23 p.m., the morgue door was closed.More than four hours later, at approximately 11:52 p.m., personnel arriving to collect Vincent's body discovered he was breathing.The toddler was subsequently airlifted to Phoenix Children's Hospital for specialized medical treatment..Newly reviewed medical records have raised questions about whether critical test results were available when Vincent was pronounced dead. Vincent arrived at the hospital at approximately 6:04 p.m.Four minutes later, a doctor ordered an arterial blood gas test, which can provide information about oxygen levels and the body's acid-base balance. That test was subsequently cancelled.Additional laboratory samples were collected at 6:11 p.m., but the results were not available until 6:38 p.m., approximately 18 minutes after Vincent was declared dead.Body-camera footage reportedly captured officers asking whether the blood gas results were available before the declaration.The family's attorney, John Brewer, alleges Toosi later cited laboratory findings as part of his justification for ending resuscitation efforts, despite the results apparently not being available at the time.Brewer is preparing a formal complaint against the physician and hospital, arguing that the decisions made during Vincent's treatment require further investigation.Fiordilino told Arizona's Family that she believes the outcome could have been different had medical personnel continued treating her son."We trusted the professionals that took an oath, made a promise, that they would do everything they could," she said.She alleged that the physician failed to provide her son with appropriate care, although those allegations have not been established through a court or professional disciplinary finding..Although Vincent survived, his family says he suffered severe brain injuries and now requires extensive medical care.Fiordilino told ABC15 that her son continues to undergo physical therapy and that the child she brought home from the hospital is not the same as the one she remembers before the incident."He was alone for five and a half hours. How do you do that to a baby?" she said.The family has shared photographs documenting Vincent's recovery, while their attorney says the toddler faces significant medical challenges requiring lifelong assistance.The precise extent to which the initial near-drowning or subsequent interruption in medical treatment contributed to his injuries has not been independently established..The Gilbert Police Department has referred information concerning the physician's conduct to the Arizona Attorney General's Office for consideration.Investigators have requested a review of whether possible felony child abuse charges against the doctor are warranted.However, the Attorney General's Office said it had not decided whether to undertake a review, and no criminal charges against the physician have been announced.The investigation has also examined the circumstances surrounding Vincent's initial near-drowning.Police previously recommended child abuse charges against his parents after determining they had lost track of the toddler during a gathering at their home.Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced in July that prosecutors would not pursue charges against Alexus or Angelo Fiordilino.

'HE WAS STILL BREATHING': Arizona mother speaks out after toddler found alive in hospital morgue

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