Mother speaks out after toddler declared dead was found alive in morgue

An Arizona mother whose toddler was found alive in a hospital morgue more than five hours after being pronounced dead has recounted the emotional ordeal, describing the discovery as “an unexplainable feeling.”

According to NBC News, Alexus Fiordilino said she thought her 18-month-old son, Vincent, was still breathing as she hugged him goodbye after he nearly drowned in the family’s swimming pool on February 8.

However, she trusted emergency room doctor Aryan Toosi, who declared the toddler dead at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center at 6:20 p.m.

More than five hours later, a medical examiner’s employee discovered Vincent was still alive. He was subsequently airlifted to Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

Fiordilino’s lawyer, John Brewer, said the child suffered severe brain injuries and plans to file a formal complaint against the doctor and hospital, alleging critical test results were unavailable when Vincent was declared dead.

The doctor’s lawyer expressed hopes for the child’s recovery, while the hospital described the incident as “heartbreaking.”

Prosecutors previously declined to charge Vincent’s parents over the near-drowning incident.