Toddler declared dead in drowning incident found alive in hospital morgue: Police report

Key Points:

• An 18-month-old toddler in Gilbert, Arizona, was mistakenly pronounced dead after being pulled unresponsive from a pool but was later found breathing in the hospital morgue hours after the declaration.
• The child was initially declared dead at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, but a transporter discovered signs of life over five hours later, leading to the toddler being air-lifted to Phoenix Children's Hospital for further care.
• Hospital staff and officers reported the child exhibited "agonal breathing" after the initial declaration of death, and a dispute occurred between an attending doctor, A. Toosi, and hospital staff regarding the presence of a pulse before the time of death was called.
• The police report recommends child abuse charges against the parents for alleged negligence, including unsupervised access to the pool after smoking marijuana and failing to secure garage doors, with multiple adults present but assuming others were supervising the child.
• The hospital is conducting a thorough review of the incident to improve care protocols, while the case remains under review by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, with no charging decisions made yet.