A toddler who was initially declared dead before later being discovered alive in a cold morgue had fallen into a swimming pool while his parents allegedly smoked marijuana in the garage of their $750,000 home, police said.
Vincent Lorenzo Fiordilino was found floating face down in the backyard pool of his family’s home in Gilbert, Arizona, at about 5.30pm on February 8, as his parents and other relatives watched Super Bowl LX inside, according to a police report obtained by the Daily Mail.
Investigators said his parents, Alexus and Angelo Fiordilino, noticed their 18-month-old son was missing after the couple had gone into the garage “to talk” and then moved to a backyard couch to watch television.
Roughly 15 minutes later, Alexus, 29, realized Vincent had not been seen. Alarmed, she began searching and soon discovered the child floating face down in the pool, the report said.
Alexus pulled her son from the water as he vomited foam and began CPR on the pool deck while someone called 911, according to police.
Angelo then carried the child to the front yard and continued CPR as emergency crews arrived at the home.
Vincent was taken to Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, where Dr. Aryan Toosi pronounced him dead at about 6.20pm, roughly an hour after he was found, the police report stated.
About five and a half hours later, however, a medical professional found Vincent alive and breathing inside the hospital morgue, police said. He sustained severe brain damage and is expected to require lifelong care.
Vincent Lorenzo Fiordilino was found floating face down in his family’s backyard pool. His loved ones later launched a GoFundMe fundraiser to raise money for his medical expenses
Vincent was rushed to Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead by Dr. Aryan Toosi about an hour later, according to a police report
The lengthy report further detailed the serious ‘error’ that police believe Toosi made when he declared the child had died.
Although earlier reports suggested that the bizarre incident was some sort of miracle, heavily blurred police bodycam footage and officers’ detailed accounts told a very different story.
An officer recalled hearing a nurse say ‘I have a pulse’ before other hospital staffers helped her ‘in attempting to revive Vincent’, the report stated.
That cop then walked into the room where Dr. Toosi was talking with the boy’s parents, and informed him of what he overheard, investigators said.
The officer claims the physician then responded sharply. He stated in his report: ‘Toosi arrogantly told me he was the doctor, he has a medical degree, he went to medical school for a reason, and to let him do his thing.’
Toosi then walked back into the emergency room and told staff to stop CPR and other life saving measures on the child, and said: ‘As long as there are no objections, I’d like to call time of death,’ the officer recounted.
The doctor then called Vincent’s time of death at 6.20pm, and six minutes later, Alexus and Angelo were told to say goodbye to their baby boy.
But as they did so, both of them stated that ‘they believed Vincent was still breathing based on the appearance of him gasping for air,’ police said.
About five and a half hours later the little boy was found alive inside the hospital’s freezing morgue. (Pictured: File photo)
During her interview with police, Alexus said Vincent did not know how to swim, and wears flotation devices when he goes into the water with family. He would often throw rocks and balls into the pool as well, she noted to police
That officer also recalled seeing Vincent’s ‘stomach/chest area rising and falling,’ but staff told them that was the gas leaving his body, investigators detailed.
When medical staff went to move the little boy’s body to the morgue later that night, a female officer recalled that she ‘observed what appeared to be another audible gasp’ coming from the child, the report stated.
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Then, when she entered the morgue, the cop said: ‘I again observed what appeared to be a gasp or air release, which was now almost an hour later.’
But a nurse who was there said the alleged breathing sounds could have been due to agonal breathing, which is an involuntary brainstem reflex that occurs when the brain is severely deprived of oxygen, according to the report.
Once it was discovered that Vincent was alive after being declared dead ‘in error’ by the doctor, the report says the toddler was airlifted to Phoenix Children’s Hospital for treatment.
An MRI confirmed that he suffered extensive brain damage and will need lifelong care.
During her interview with police, Alexus said Vincent did not know how to swim, and wears flotation devices when he goes into the water with family. He would often throw rocks and balls into the pool as well, she noted to police.
His father, Angelo, also told officers that he and Alexus ‘smoke a little weed’ at times, and the last time he did so was the morning of the drowning, according to the report.
He also said they drink alcohol ‘on occasion,’ police noted.
At the time of the drowning, Alexus and Angelo, the boy’s parents, said they went ‘to talk’ in the garage. Police noted the garage smelled like marijuana when they got there
Blood tests taken at the hospital for both parents determined that they did not have alcohol in their systems, but were positive for cannabis, the report stated.
Because they admitted to smoking marijuana, Alexus and Angelo were both charged with child or vulnerable adult abuse the police report stated.
The Gilbert Police Department told the Daily Mail: ‘The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office will review the case and make a final charging decision.’
Yaleen Perez, Alexus’s mother, launched a GoFundMe fundraiser to raise money to support Vincent’s recovery.
‘His devastated parents were sent home in unimaginable grief. But God had other plans,’ Yaleen wrote.
After learning that he was still alive, Vincent’s grandmother said the toddler immediately faced medical issues, including his lungs, kidney and liver shutting down.
An MRI test was also ordered for him, and determined that there was only two ‘pencil dot areas of potential damage,’ Yaleen said.
The family were told the next 72 hours were the most critical for the baby, and on February 12, a secondary MRI showed he has ‘no brain damage,’ she stated.
Once it was discovered that Vincent was alive after being declared dead ‘in error’ by the doctor, the toddler was airlifted to Phoenix Children’s Hospital for treatment. (Pictured: Mercy Gilbert Medical Center)
Yaleen Perez, Vincent’s grandmother, launched a GoFundMe fundraiser to raise money to support his recovery
The accident did leave Vincent with a ‘small area of bruising’ that doctors believe will cause ‘minor balance issues,’ she added.
‘Doctors are taking things slowly, allowing Vincent’s body to guide the pace of his recovery. They are amazed by his strength and have lovingly begun calling him the miracle baby,’ Yaleen concluded.
The Daily Mail approached the Fiordilinos and Mercy Gilbert Medical Center for comment.
A hospital spokesperson previously told the Daily Mail: ‘This is a heartbreaking situation. We immediately conducted a thorough review of all aspects of the care provided to learn what happened and to make meaningful changes to strengthen our care.
‘Out of respect for the patient’s privacy, we cannot discuss details. We continue to work with the family and their representative. Patient safety and exceptional care is our highest priority.’
