A case out of Gilbert, Arizona, that sounds like something out of a movie has drawn national attention, after an 18-month-old boy who was declared dead at a hospital was later found alive in the morgue. The child, identified as Vincent Lorenzo Fiodolino, ultimately survived, and his family now refers to him as their miracle baby.
The ordeal began on Super Bowl Sunday. According to investigators, the toddler's father told police that he pulled his son out of a backyard pool, setting off a desperate sequence of events as the family and first responders tried to save the little boy.
By 6:20 that night, a doctor pronounced the toddler dead. Recently released body camera footage from Gilbert Police captures the anguish of the moment, with the child's parents pleading with officers to save their son as the situation unfolded.
What makes the case especially striking is that the doctor's pronouncement came despite pushback at the scene. According to the account, two police officers and at least one nurse indicated that the boy could still be alive, even as he was declared dead and taken to the morgue.
More than five hours later, when the medical examiner's team arrived at the hospital's morgue, they reported that the toddler was breathing. He was immediately airlifted to another hospital, where he survived what should have been a fatal series of missteps.
Through an online fundraising page, his family said the toddler will need extensive therapy and ongoing medical care going forward. The hospital where he was first taken says it conducted a thorough review, describing what happened as a heartbreaking situation and promising meaningful changes.
As of now, the doctor who made the mistake is not facing charges. The boy's parents, however, are: police say both the mother and father admitted to smoking marijuana and not watching their son closely before he fell into the pool, and they are now facing child abuse charges.