GILBERT, Ariz., July 6 (Phoenix Times Online) — An 18-month-old Arizona boy was found breathing in a hospital morgue hours after he had been pronounced dead following a backyard pool near-drowning, Gilbert police said.
The incident happened Feb. 8 in Gilbert. Police identified the child as Vincent Lorenzo Fiordilino and said the boy survived and has been released from the hospital.
NBC News reported that police said the boy was found breathing in the morgue at 11:52 p.m., while azcentral reported that signs of life were noted just before 11:30 p.m. The department said the child was later transferred to another valley hospital for more treatment and was expected to survive.
Gilbert police said they recommended that the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office charge the child’s parents with child abuse. The county attorney’s office is reviewing the case.
A police report cited by NBC News said investigators believed the parents may not have realized the boy had wandered to the pool because their state of mind may have been impaired by marijuana or other mind-altering substances. The report also said both parents admitted smoking marijuana that morning.
