Tuesday, October 27, 2026·Focal News

The Phoenix Focal

Phoenix's independent voice

Local

Gilbert family seeks answers after toddler revived hours after death declaration

An 18-month-old boy was found alive in a cold room at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center nearly five hours after a doctor declared him dead following a February pool incident. His family’s attorney says he plans to file complaints against the hospital and physician, while Arizona’s attorney general has not decided whether to review the case.

Gilbert family seeks answers after toddler revived hours after death declaration

GILBERT, Ariz. — The family of Vincent Fiordilino, an 18-month-old boy who was found alive in a hospital cold room nearly five hours after being declared dead, plans to pursue complaints against Mercy Gilbert Medical Center and the doctor who treated him, the family’s attorney said Oct. 26.

Vincent was taken to the hospital in February after being found unresponsive in his family’s pool. His mother, Alexus Fiordilino, said she is grateful he survived but continues to seek answers about the care he received.

Police records and body-camera footage show that relatives and officers raised concerns that Vincent appeared to be breathing after the doctor pronounced him dead, according to the family’s attorney, John Brewer. Fiordilino said she also believed she felt him breathe as she said goodbye, but staff told her the movements were agonal breathing.

Brewer said medical records indicate the death declaration came before oxygen test results were available, and he alleged that staff did not check Vincent’s core temperature. He said he plans to file a complaint against the hospital and Dr. Aryan Toosi this week, arguing that responsibility extends beyond the physician.

Toosi’s attorney said the doctor is thinking of Vincent and his family and hopes the child continues to recover. The attorney declined to discuss the care, citing pending litigation and patient privacy laws.

Dignity Health, which operates Mercy Gilbert, called the situation heartbreaking and said it could not comment on the people involved in Vincent’s care because of patient privacy. The organization said patient safety and quality care are priorities.

The Arizona Attorney General’s Office has not decided whether to review the case.

Eight months after the incident, Fiordilino said her son still faces daily struggles and cannot do some things he could before. She described the family’s relief that he is alive alongside the lasting effects of the experience.

More from The Phoenix Focal