Just before midnight on Feb. 8, 2026 — Super Bowl Sunday — medical examiner staff arrived at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center in Gilbert, Arizona, to collect the body of an 18-month-old boy who had been pronounced dead more than five hours earlier. What they found instead was a breathing child. Vincent Lorenzo Fiordilino, declared dead at 6:20 p.m. after a near-drowning in his family’s pool, was alive in the hospital’s cold room. The circumstances surrounding both the drowning and the erroneous death pronouncement are now under investigation by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
A Child Pronounced Dead, Then Found Breathing
The sequence began at approximately 5:38 p.m., when a 911 call was placed after Vincent was discovered floating face down in the family’s backyard pool. A relative had attempted CPR before first responders arrived. The boy was rushed to the emergency room, where a medical team that included a doctor identified in police records as A. Toosi worked to save him. The toddler had been submerged for approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
At 6:13 p.m., officers noted Toosi glancing at a mobile device with an orange and black animal-print cover prior to stepping out to speak with the boy’s parents. Minutes later, a tense exchange unfolded. A nurse in another room said she detected a pulse. When a Gilbert police officer attempted to relay that information to Toosi, the doctor’s response was dismissive, according to the police report. Toosi returned to the trauma room and announced his intention to proceed. At approximately 6:20 p.m., he called time of death and requested a moment of silence. Several nurses left the emergency room in tears.
But officers present were not convinced. Both parents and police noted what appeared to be gasping breaths after the death was declared. One officer documented that the release of air was audible and visible. At approximately 7:18 p.m. — nearly an hour after the pronouncement — a detective reported hearing another audible gasp as staff prepared to move Vincent’s body to the cold room, where temperatures are kept between 36 and 39 degrees. The gasps continued even after he was placed there. Nurses attributed the sounds to agonal breathing, a reflexive response sometimes seen near death, but officers continued to document them.
Just before midnight, medical examiner staff arrived to transport the body and found Vincent still breathing. He was airlifted to Phoenix Children’s Hospital for treatment. The Gilbert Police Department later confirmed the child survived and has been released from the hospital. According to a crowdfunding page the family set up to offset medical costs, Vincent is breathing with the assistance of a ventilator and will require ongoing monitoring and extensive therapy. Police have said he may need lifelong care.
The Doctor at the Center of the Case
Public records identify the physician as Aryan Toosi, an osteopathic doctor licensed in Arizona whose employment location is recorded as Chandler Regional Medical Center, part of the same health system that operates Mercy Gilbert. Both operate under parent organization Dignity Health. No disciplinary actions appear on Toosi’s license in available public records. He is not facing criminal charges in connection with the incident. When the officer challenged his judgment, Toosi reportedly said, “Please do your thing and let me do my thing. I went to medical school for a reason.”
Toosi referred media inquiries to attorney Scott Holden, who said in a statement that because of a potential case against the child’s parents and patient confidentiality considerations, a full response was not possible at the time. He emphasized that there is much more to the case, both factually and medically, than has been reported thus far. Mercy Gilbert Medical Center confirmed it conducted an internal review of what it described as a heartbreaking situation but has not disclosed the findings. The hospital also declined to answer whether Toosi remains on staff.
Parents Face Potential Child Abuse Charges
While their son lay in the hospital morgue, Vincent’s parents were at a Gilbert police station being questioned by detectives. That is where they learned he was still alive. The Gilbert Police Department has since recommended to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office that both parents be charged with child abuse. A spokesperson for the county attorney declined to comment.
According to the police report, the parents may not have noticed Vincent wander to the pool during the Super Bowl party because of what the report described as possible impairment from cannabis use and additional substances that can alter consciousness. The couple admitted to using marijuana earlier that day, and police noted they had not been watching the boy closely during the gathering. The couple has two other young children. An attorney representing the family declined to comment.
Records Released After Months of Delay
Gilbert police took several months to release public records connected to the incident. Investigators reviewed roughly half a dozen body camera videos from both the drowning scene and inside the hospital. Most of that footage was heavily blurred, with the majority of the audio muted. One critical exchange between Toosi and a responding officer was captured on camera and shows officers raising concern about visible signs of life in the boy even as the doctor moved forward with the death declaration. Police records describe the pronouncement as having been made in error. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office has not announced a charging decision for any party involved.