Arizona police investigation into a near-fatal drowning exposed a catastrophic medical error after a toddler, mistakenly pronounced dead by an emergency room physician, was discovered breathing inside a hospital morgue hours later, authorities confirmed.
Emergency personnel initially responded to a residential drowning call at 05:35 p.m. on Monday, February 8, near East Chandler Heights and South Higley roads, where a toddler, Vincent Lorenzo Fiordilino, was pulled unresponsive from a backyard measures at the scene before rushing the child to Mercy Gilbert Medical Center.
Apparently, hospital medical staff continued resuscitation efforts, but an attending doctor, Dr. Aryan Toosi, officially pronounced the child, Fiordilino, dead at 06:20 p.m.
After the statement, the Arizona child was moved into the “cold room” of the hospital, which was used for the morgue at the hospital. As stated in the police report, two Gilbert police officers and one nurse witnessed the signs of life exhibited by the toddler several times.
A nurse in the ER told a cop that she detected a pulse, which is when the officer notified Dr. Toosi. However, Dr. Toosi dismissed both of their pulse detection claim, saying he “went to medical school for a reason.”
“[The doctor] arrogantly told me he was the doctor, he has the medical degree, he went to medical school for a reason, and to let him do his thing.”
— Gilbert Police officer (from official police report), Abc15
Following this instance, Dr. Toosi made the declaration. Thereafter, the toddler was transferred to the hospital’s designated “cold room,” a facility utilized as the hospital morgue.
Furthermore, a female officer observed alleged gasps both as the child was moved to the morgue and again nearly an hour later inside it.
“The release of air was audible and visible. It also began to sound like [the child] was gasping for air.”
— Gilbert Police officer (from official police report), Abc15
Resuscitation efforts were immediately carried out by the morgue attendant to stabilize the child. The child was immediately transported to Phoenix Children’s Hospital once stable vital signs had been restored to him.
According to ABC15, MRI results show that he sustained severe brain damage and will require care for the rest of his life.
Dr. Toosi currently faces no criminal charges. Although the Gilbert Police forwarded the case to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, the ongoing review focuses entirely on potential charges against the parents regarding the drowning, rather than the doctor’s actions.
As of early July 2026, no public lawsuits have been filed, and the Arizona family’s legal counsel declined to comment. Citing patient privacy, Mercy Gilbert Medical Center released a statement calling the situation “heartbreaking” but refused to discuss specific details.
Dr. Toosi defended himself, stating:
“There is much more to this case and that there are important medical facts that have not been reported.”
— Attorney for Dr. Aryan Toosi, Abc15
Disclaimer: Inquisitr could not independently confirm the facts of this incident and is reporting based on the information available within the public video record.
