An Arizona family is seeking answers after their 18-month-old son, Vincent Fiordilino, was declared dead following a near-drowning incident, only to be discovered alive in a hospital morgue hours later.
The child had been found unresponsive in a backyard swimming pool in February 2026. Emergency responders took him to Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, where doctors attempted to save his life. According to the family’s account, a physician eventually declared him dead, and his parents were sent home believing they had lost their son.
But the situation took an unexpected turn later that night.
According to police records, Vincent was moved to the hospital morgue at approximately 7:23 p.m. A medical examiner’s team discovered signs of life around midnight, prompting an emergency response and his transfer to Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
His mother, Alexus Fiordilino, says the family had raised concerns about whether Vincent was still breathing before he was moved to the morgue. She now wants to understand how those concerns were handled and why the child was declared dead before being found alive.
The incident has prompted questions about the medical decisions made that evening, the recognition of possible signs of life and the procedures followed when a patient is declared deceased.
Family says they heard the toddler breathing
In an interview with local television, Alexus recalled a moment when her mother-in-law approached Vincent and hugged him while the family was at the hospital.
According to Alexus, her mother-in-law believed she could hear the toddler breathing and immediately raised the concern with others nearby.
Instead of receiving an explanation that reassured the family, Alexus said they were told that the sound was normal.
The family also reported seeing what appeared to be gasping breaths. According to the police report, hospital staff described the movements as agonal breathing, a type of abnormal, gasping respiration that can occur during a life-threatening medical emergency.
Agonal breathing is not considered normal, effective breathing. It can occur when the brain is not receiving enough oxygen and may be associated with cardiac arrest. Medical guidance emphasizes that people experiencing gasping or irregular breaths need immediate assessment rather than having those signs assumed to indicate recovery.
In Vincent’s case, the family’s concerns became especially significant after the medical examiner’s team later detected signs of life.
Alexus has said she struggles to understand why the family’s observations did not lead to a different assessment earlier that evening.
For a parent already facing the possibility of losing a child, the experience has left painful questions about what happened inside the hospital and whether the situation could have been recognized sooner.
Police report describes disagreement over lifesaving efforts
The police report also describes concerns raised by a nurse and officers who were present at the hospital.
According to the report, when the physician went to speak with Vincent’s parents, a nurse said she had detected a pulse. Officers also reportedly expressed concern that the child appeared to be breathing.
The report alleges that the physician insisted on his medical judgment when an officer questioned the decision to stop lifesaving measures.
These accounts have become part of the broader dispute over how Vincent’s condition was evaluated and how staff responded to signs that he might still be alive.
The family’s attorney, John Brewer, has questioned the medical basis for the decision to declare the child dead. He told local media that a review of Vincent’s medical records indicated that certain test results used to support the physician’s decision were not completed until after the declaration of death.
Alexus also recalled the physician discussing the child’s blood acidity and the possibility that resuscitation would leave him with a poor quality of life.
According to her account, the physician suggested that further efforts would not result in a meaningful recovery.
The timing of the tests and the physician’s assessment are now central to the family’s concerns. A full determination of what happened would require a detailed review of the medical records, the sequence of clinical decisions and the applicable procedures.
How Vincent was discovered alive
Vincent was eventually found alive by a medical examiner’s team after spending several hours in the morgue, according to the family’s attorney and police records.
A fundraising campaign established to support the child’s recovery described the moment as an unexpected call that changed everything for his family.
The fundraiser stated that Vincent was airlifted to Phoenix Children’s Hospital after a faint heartbeat was detected. His parents, who had believed he was dead, were suddenly facing a different kind of uncertainty: whether their son could survive the effects of being underwater.
The family reported that Vincent had been submerged for approximately five minutes before he was found in the swimming pool. The exact medical circumstances and duration of oxygen deprivation are important because drowning can cause serious injury even when a person is successfully resuscitated.
According to the fundraiser, Vincent’s kidneys, lungs and liver experienced significant difficulties after his arrival at the children’s hospital.
Doctors also ordered an MRI to assess potential brain injury. The campaign said the initial results identified two tiny areas of possible damage, raising concerns about the long-term effects of the incident.
Later updates from the family indicated that additional testing did not show brain damage.
Although that was encouraging news, Vincent still faced a lengthy recovery. His family said he needed physical therapy, continued medical monitoring and support as his organs recovered.
The long road to recovery
For Vincent’s family, discovering that he was alive did not mean the ordeal was over.
A near-drowning event can affect multiple organ systems because a lack of oxygen can injure the brain, heart, kidneys and other organs. Recovery varies considerably depending on the severity of the initial injury and the response to treatment.
Children recovering from such incidents may require follow-up appointments, rehabilitation and assessments of their physical and developmental progress.
Vincent’s family has said he has needed physical therapy and ongoing care. The fundraising campaign was established to help cover the practical and financial demands associated with his recovery.
The family’s experience also highlights the uncertainty that can follow a serious pediatric medical emergency. Even when a child survives, parents may spend months navigating appointments, monitoring progress and waiting for a clearer picture of potential long-term effects.
For Alexus, the medical recovery is only one part of what the family is dealing with. She is also seeking answers about how her son could have been declared dead and later found alive inside the same facility.
“There’s no, like, happy ending,” she said, describing the continuing challenges Vincent has faced.
Parents will not face child abuse charges
The original drowning incident also led to a separate investigation involving Vincent’s parents.
Police recommended child abuse charges after investigating the circumstances surrounding the February incident. Authorities alleged that the parents had been attending a Super Bowl party and were not adequately monitoring their son when he entered the backyard swimming pool.
However, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office reviewed the case and determined that there was insufficient probable cause to pursue criminal charges.
County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced in July 2026 that the parents would not be charged.
That decision is separate from the questions surrounding the hospital’s declaration of death and the subsequent discovery of Vincent alive. The prosecutor’s decision regarding the parents does not resolve the family’s concerns about the medical care provided that evening.
The distinction matters because the case involves two different sets of circumstances: the events leading to the toddler’s near-drowning and the medical decisions made after he arrived at the hospital.
Family’s attorney plans formal complaint
Brewer has said he intends to file a formal complaint against both the physician who declared Vincent dead and Mercy Gilbert Medical Center.
The planned complaint is expected to focus on the medical records, the timing of test results and the decisions surrounding the termination of lifesaving efforts.
A formal complaint could prompt further review of the circumstances, although the outcome would depend on the process involved and the evidence examined.
The physician will not face criminal charges, according to prosecutors. That decision does not, by itself, determine whether professional or institutional standards were followed.
Medical cases involving an incorrect declaration of death can raise complex questions about clinical judgment, documentation, communication and the procedures used to confirm that a patient has died.
Determining what occurred in this case would require an examination of the complete clinical record and the standards applicable to the care provided.
Hospital declines to discuss individual care
Mercy Gilbert Medical Center did not provide details about Vincent’s treatment, citing patient privacy.
A hospital spokesperson described the situation as heartbreaking and said the facility could not comment on the individuals involved in the patient’s care.
The spokesperson also stated that patient safety and exceptional care are the hospital’s highest priorities.
The statement did not address the specific allegations raised by the family or its attorney.
For now, the family continues to seek a fuller explanation of the events that unfolded between Vincent’s arrival at the hospital, his declaration of death and his discovery in the morgue.
A family still searching for answers
Vincent’s survival has given his family an opportunity to continue supporting his recovery, but the circumstances surrounding that night remain deeply troubling for his mother.
Alexus and her attorney want to know why the family’s concerns about breathing were reportedly dismissed, how the decision to declare the child dead was reached and why signs of life were detected only after he had been moved to the morgue.
Those questions are at the heart of the family’s planned complaint.
The case also underscores the importance of carefully evaluating signs of life during medical emergencies and ensuring that concerns raised by staff or family members receive appropriate attention.
For Vincent, the immediate priority remains recovery. For his parents, that means balancing the demands of caring for their young son with the search for answers about an experience they say changed their lives.
They are now seeking accountability and a clearer understanding of how such a serious failure could have occurred, hoping that a thorough review will help explain what happened and prevent similar situations in the future.
