Child Pronounced Dead After Pool Incident
An 18-month-old Arizona toddler who was declared dead after being discovered in a backyard pool in February was actually alive hours later in a room that serves as the hospital morgue, according to recently released police records. The child was taken to Mercy Gilbert Medical Center after first responders performed life-saving measures at the scene.
Two Gilbert police officers reported seeing possible signs of life multiple times, but the child was still taken to the hospital's "cold room" after being treated by staff, the documents show. Dr. Aryan Toosi reportedly told an officer, "Please do your thing and let me do my thing. I went to medical school for a reason."
Timeline of Events
First responders were dispatched to the home at approximately 5:30 p.m. on February 8 following a reported drowning. They performed life-saving measures before transporting the child to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead about an hour later. Approximately five hours later, police were notified that the child was indeed breathing, and he was flown to another hospital. The boy ultimately survived and has been released.
Gilbert police are recommending negligence charges against the parents. Investigators reported a strong odor of marijuana at the home and open doors that could have allowed unsupervised access to the pool. The Maricopa County Attorney's Office said it was reviewing the case and declined further comment on Monday.
Hospital Response and Investigation
In 911 calls, two relatives frantically reported that the child had been pulled from the pool, with people at the scene heard shrieking. One caller reported the toddler was unconscious. Mercy Gilbert Medical Center said in a statement that the hospital conducted "a thorough review of all aspects of the care provided to learn what happened and to make meaningful changes to strengthen our care." The hospital called it "a heartbreaking situation" and declined to release further details.
When a team from the local medical examiner's office arrived in the so-called cold room, they found the boy breathing and rushed him to another hospital, police said. Scott Holden, an attorney for Dr. Toosi, told the AP that he wouldn't make a full statement on behalf of the doctor "other than to assure you that there is much more to this case, both factually and medically, than has been reported thus far."
Community Support and Recovery
A GoFundMe page created in February to help the boy's family with medical bills stated that the toddler would need extensive therapy. "Thank you for your prayers, your kindness, and your support for baby Vincent – our miracle fighter," the page says. An ABC affiliate in Phoenix, KNXV-TV, was the first to report the story.
