A newly released police report reveals that a US toddler, initially found unresponsive in an Arizona swimming pool and declared deceased, was later found alive in the hospital’s “cold room”.
The 18-month-old’s family urgently contacted authorities on 8 February after discovering the child face down in a pool at a residence in Gilbert, a suburban community near Phoenix.
Emergency responders arrived promptly and administered lifesaving interventions before transporting the child to a medical facility, where he was pronounced dead approximately one hour afterward.
Per the police report, officers informed the attending physician, Dr. Aryan Toosi, that they had observed indications of life. The physician replied, “please do your thing and let me do my thing,” according to the document.
“I went to medical school for a reason,” Toosi stated, as recorded in the report.
The family had assembled to watch the NFL Super Bowl when law enforcement was summoned to the location following the reported drowning incident.
Gilbert police reached the home at approximately 17:30 Mountain Standard Time (00:30 GMT); the child was subsequently transferred to Mercy Gilbert Medical Center and declared deceased at 18:20.
“If there are no objections, I would like to call the time of death,” Toosi said, as captured in body-worn camera footage obtained by a local NBC News affiliate.
“Time of death, 18:20. Moment of silence,” the physician announced.
Approximately five hours later, a transporter from the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office arrived at the hospital and discovered the child was still breathing, police reported.
The toddler was airlifted to another facility, where he recovered and has since been discharged.
The police report did not contain the child’s medical records, leaving certain aspects of the incident unclear.
Dr. Toosi’s attorney, Scott Holden, provided an emailed statement to the BBC: “Out of courtesy to the family and patient confidentiality, we respectfully decline to make a statement at this time.”
Authorities are recommending negligence charges be filed against the parents.
Investigators noted a strong odor of marijuana within the residence, leading them to conclude the child may have had unsupervised access to the pool, the report states.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office has not yet indicated whether it will pursue prosecution.
Mercy Gilbert Medical Center issued a statement saying it had 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 described the event as “a heartbreaking situation” and has declined to provide additional information.
Also Read
- AI Boom Drives Luxury Home Prices in San Francisco
- Brittany Allen Secures Emmy Nomination Through Bold Self-Submission Amid The Pitt’s Record-Breaking Campaign
- Telstra’s Secondary Outage Impacts Emergency Services and Regional Transport
- Choosing Between State Street SPLB and iShares TLT: eginning to optimize long‑term bond exposure