Arizona toddler misdeclared dead survived hours in hospital morgue, police records reveal

A toddler who was declared dead after being pulled from a backyard pool in February was in fact alive and discovered hours later in the hospital’s morgue, according to recently released police records.

Two Gilbert police officers observed possible signs of life on multiple occasions, yet the child was nevertheless taken to the hospital’s “cold room” after being treated by staff, the documents state.

“Please do your thing and let me do my thing,” Dr. Aryan Toosi told an officer at one point, according to the report. “I went to medical school for a reason,” he added.

First responders were dispatched to the residence around 5:30 p.m. on 8 February after a drowning was reported. They administered life‑saving measures before transporting the child to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead roughly an hour later.

Approximately five hours later, police were informed that the child was breathing and arranged for him to be airlifted to another hospital. The boy ultimately survived and has since been discharged.

Gilbert police are recommending negligence charges against the parents. Investigators noted a strong odor of marijuana at the home and open doors that could have permitted unsupervised access to the pool. The Maricopa County attorney’s office said it was reviewing the case and declined further comment on Monday.

During 911 calls, two relatives reported frantically that the child had been pulled from the pool, with people at the scene audible shrieking. One caller described the toddler as unconscious.

Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, where the 18‑month‑old was taken, issued a statement saying it 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 incident as “a heartbreaking situation” and declined to release additional details.

When a team from the local medical examiner’s office arrived at the so‑called cold room, they discovered the boy breathing and promptly rushed him to another hospital, police said.

Attorney Scott Holden, representing Dr. Toosi, told the Associated Press that he would not provide a full statement “other than to assure you that there is much more to this case, both factually and medically, than has been reported thus far.”

The story was first reported by the ABC affiliate in Phoenix, KNXV‑TV.

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